• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.416-421
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• 1997

The effect of imported young bulls on the genetic progress was examined in the Holstein dairy cattle population in Japan. The effect of the difference of mean genetic merit between imported and domestic young bulls ("genetic difference") was recognized on the genetic progress of the domestic animals in the early stage of selection. On the other hand, the genetic progress of domestic animals were remarkably influenced by the genetic trend of imported young bulls ("genetic trend") in the later stage. Import of young bulls originated from high genetic level of young bulls originated from high genetic level population improved the genetic progress of domestic population. But, the increase of the immigration ratio of imported young bulls ("immigration ratio") did not influence linearly on the progress of the genetic merit of domestic animals. Even if "immigration ratio" was 100%, the genetic merit of domestic animals could not overcome the one of imported young bulls. In the later stage of selection, the genetic merit of domestic animals ran parallel to those of imported young bulls.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.57 no.6
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• pp.595-599
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• 2019

In this study we take a closer look at the diseases that afflicted Japanese police officers who were stationed in a remote mountainous region of Taiwan from 1921 to 1944. Samples were taken from the latrine at the Huabanuo police outpost, and analyzed for the eggs of intestinal parasites, using microscopy and ELISA. The eggs of Eurytrema sp., (possibly E. pancreaticum), whipworm and roundworm were shown to be present. True infection with Eurytrema would indicate that the policemen ate uncooked grasshoppers and crickets infected with the parasite. However, false parasitism might also occur if the policemen ate the uncooked intestines of infected cattle, and the Eurytrema eggs passed through the human intestines. These findings provide an insight into the diet and health of the Japanese colonists in Taiwan nearly a century ago.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.9
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• pp.970-975
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• 2015

The goals of this study were to identify sequence variations in the mitochondrial cytochrome b (mtDNA cyt b) gene in White Hanwoo (Wh) and the genetic relationship between the Wh and other breeds. When whole sequences of the mtDNA cyt b gene in 14 Wh cattle were determined, a silent mutation and two haplotypes were detected in the Wh cattle. The major haplotype, H1, was found in 13 of 14 individuals in the Wh cattle. Haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity were 0.143 and 0.00013, respectively. Compared to previous reports, these levels of genetic diversity are lower than other Korean and Chinese breeds. To identify the genetic relationship among Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and European cattle breeds, the neighbor-joining (NJ) tree was constructed based on Dxy genetic distances. Two distinct groups were identified and classified as A and B. Wh was found in the A group, which consisted of Bos taurus breeds. From calculating the Dxy genetic distances, Wh was found to be genetically more closely related to two breeds, Heugu (0.00018) and Yanbian (0.00021), than to other breeds. In conclusion, Wh is genetically related to Chikso, Heugu, and Yanbian breeds based on maternal inheritance. The results of this study will be useful for efficient management and sustainable utilization of Wh.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.62 no.3
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• pp.19.1-19.6
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• 2022

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) and Akabane virus (AKAV) are mosquito-borne viruses that cause encephalitis and reproductive disorders in horses and cattle, respectively. There is no treatment for JEV or AKAV infections in animals. Therefore, we evaluated the antiviral activity of 18-mer amphipathic peptides in the 1b-4/21-C series on JEV and AKAV using Vero cells in vitro and evaluated their effects on JEV in mice. Of 6 peptides, 1b-4/21-C12 had the lowest IC₅₀ of 0.313 against JEV and its use as an antiviral against JEV and AKAV was examined. The IC₅₀ of 1b-4/21-C12 against JEV and AKAV was 0.78 and 1.14 µM, respectively. Mice treated with 5 or 2 mg/kg of 1b-4/21-C12 had 32% and 16% survival rates, respectively, and the surviving mice treated with 1b-4/21-C12 began to gain weight beginning 8 days post challenge with the virulent Nakayama strain. Moreover, 20 µM 1b-4/21-C peptide had no cytotoxic effects on Vero cells. Our in vitro and in vivo results indicate that 1b-4/21-C12 has antiviral activity against enveloped JEV and AKAV and might be useful as a therapeutic substance.

• 한국환경농학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.07a
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• pp.283-297
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• 2009

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) has become an important concern in food safety. Until now, 36 cases of BSE have been detected in Japan. Control programs have led to a decrease in the annual numbers, and Japan has now been categorized as a "controlled risk" country by the World Animal Health Organization (OIE). In spite of a worldwide decrease in the number of BSE cases, sporadic occurrences of atypical BSE cases have been reported. In Japan, 2 atypical BSE cases were confirmed. A Japanese L-type-BSE (BSE/JP24) has exhibited transmissibility to bovinized transgenic mice (TgBoPrP) it has a shorter incubation period than that of classical BSE. Although the origin of atypical BSE is obscure, risk analysis of newly emerged BSE prions of cattle and humans is required.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.11
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• pp.1824-1836
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• 2020

Objective: On the hypothesis that grazing of cattle prompts organs to secrete or internalize circulating microRNAs (c-miRNAs) in parallel with changes in energy metabolism, we aimed to clarify biological events in adipose, skeletal muscle, and liver tissues in grazing Japanese Shorthorn (JSH) steers by a transcriptomic approach. Methods: The subcutaneous fat (SCF), biceps femoris muscle (BFM), and liver in JSH steers after three months of grazing or housing were analyzed using microarray and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), followed by gene ontology (GO) and functional annotation analyses. Results: The results of transcriptomics indicated that SCF was highly responsive to grazing compared to BFM and liver tissues. The 'Exosome', 'Carbohydrate metabolism' and 'Lipid metabolism' were extracted as the relevant GO terms in SCF and BFM, and/or liver from the >1.5-fold-altered mRNAs in grazing steers. The qPCR analyses showed a trend of upregulated gene expression related to exosome secretion and internalization (charged multivesicular body protein 4A, vacuolar protein sorting-associated protein 4B, vesicle associated membrane protein 7, caveolin 1) in the BFM and SCF, as well as upregulation of lipolysis-associated mRNAs (carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A, hormone-sensitive lipase, perilipin 1, adipose triglyceride lipase, fatty acid binding protein 4) and most of the microRNAs (miRNAs) in SCF. Moreover, gene expression related to fatty acid uptake and inter-organ signaling (solute carrier family 27 member 4 and angiopoietin-like 4) was upregulated in BFM, suggesting activation of SCF-BFM organ crosstalk for energy metabolism. Meanwhile, expression of plasma exosomal miR-16a, miR-19b, miR-21-5p, and miR-142-5p was reduced. According to bioinformatic analyses, the c-miRNA target genes are associated with the terms 'Endosome', 'Caveola', 'Endocytosis', 'Carbohydrate metabolism', and with pathways related to environmental information processing and the endocrine system. Conclusion: Exosome and fatty acid metabolism-related gene expression was altered in SCF of grazing cattle, which could be regulated by miRNA such as miR-142-5p. These changes occurred coordinately in both the SCF and BFM, suggesting involvement of exosome in the SCF-BFM organ crosstalk to modulate energy metabolism.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.216-224
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• 2009

In Japan, since rice consumption has been decreasing with the westernization of Japanese eating habits, surplus paddy fields have been increasing. If these surplus paddy fields can be utilized for forage rice production as feed for animal production and excretions (feces and urine) from animal production can be applied to the paddy fields as manure, then the problems of surplus paddy fields and excretions from animal production may be solved, and the environment kept sustainable. The objectives of the present study were to apply a bio-economic model to dairy and forage rice integration systems in Japan and to examine the merit of introducing whole crop rice silage (WCRS), as well as economic and environmental effects of various economic and management options in the systems. Five simulations were conducted using this model. The use of WCRS as a home-grown feed increased environmental loads and decreased economic benefit because of the higher amount of purchased feed, when compared to the use of typical crops such as maize, alfalfa and timothy silage (simulation 1). Higher economic benefits from higher forage rice yields and higher milk production of a dairy cow were obtained (simulations 2, 3). There were no economic and environmental incentives for utilizing crude protein (CP) rich WCRS, because an increase in the CP content in WCRS led to the use of more chemical fertilizers, resulting in high production costs and nitrogen outputs (simulation 4). When evaluated under the situation of a fixed herd size, increasing forage rice yields decreased the total benefit of the production, in spite of the fact that the amount of subsidies per unit of land increased (simulation 5). It was indicated that excess subsidy support may not promote yield of forage rice. It was, however, observed in most cases that dairy and forage rice integration systems could not be economically established without subsidies.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.1511-1515
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• 2001

A prediction of 305 d milk production from early records using an empirical Bayes method (EBM) was performed. The EBM was compared with the best predicted estimation (BPE), test interval method (TIM), and the linearized Wood's model (LWM). Daily milk yields were obtained from 606 first lactation Japanese Holstein cows in three herds. From each file of 305 daily records, 10 random test day records with an interval of approximately one month were taken. The accuracies of these methods were compared using the absolute difference (AD) and the standard deviation (SD) of the differences between the actual and the estimated 305 d milk production. The results showed that in the early stage of the lactation, EBM was superior in obtaining the prediction with high accuracy. When all the herds were analyzed jointly, the AD during the first 5 test day records were on average 373, 590, 917 and 1,042 kg for EBM, BPE, TIM, and LWM, respectively. Corresponding SD for EBM, BPE, TIM, and LWM were on average 488, 733, 747 and 1,605 kg. When the herds were analyzed separately, the EBM predictions retained high accuracy. When more information on the actual lactation was added to the prediction, TIM and LWM gradually achieved better accuracies. Finally, in the last period of the lactation, the accuracy of both of the methods exceeded EBM and BPM. The AD for the last 2 samples analyzing all the herds jointly were on average 141, 142, 164, and 214 kg for LWM, TIM, EBM, and BPE, respectively. In the current practices of collecting monthly records, early prediction of future milk production may be more accurate using EBM. Alternatively, if enough information of the actual lactation is accumulated, TIM may obtain better accuracy in the latter stage of lactation.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.297-313
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• 2004

This study, based on an ethnographic field-research in Hwangryong marketplace at Jangsung, explores the transformational process of local community and local marketplace from the end of the 19th century. I attempt to use methodology of oral statement and memory. In socio-economic, political and cultural sence, Hwangryong market which made the 18th century was central place of Jangsung. It was famous of cattle marketplace from the end of Lee Dynasty. The heyday of Hwangryong market is vitalized in the ruling of Japan. Japanese government collect tax and agricultural products through this marketplace. After independence of 1945, the economic function of it was weakened, but the other side political function was strengthened. The socio-economic and cultural status of this market was revitalized after the end of Korean war notwithstanding trial of moving of marketplace. But peasant migration and mechanization of agriculture from the end of 1950' had been brought about a critical moment to Hwangryong marketplace as cattle market. The opening of Honam express road at 1973 was decisively weakened socio-economic, cultural function and role of this marketplace. Consequently, Hwangryong marketplace was transformed small local market. The identity of cattle marketplace was rarely remained in recent. This inclination will not be stopped if not linking to local festival or invention of local specialities.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.954-959
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• 2004

In a herd of 24 spring-born steers, plasma leptin and performance of selected purebred (n=5) and backcrossed Hereford (n=5) were compared in a year-round summer grazing and winter feedlot fattening. Bimonthly blood collection and body weight measurement were accomplished. The plasma samples were analyzed for leptin, insulin, total cholesterol, triglyceride, NEFA and glucose. The experimental design utilized one-way ANOVA with breed as the treatment. The purebred obtained higher plasma NEFA (p<0.001) compared to backcross, regardless of seasonal feeding systems (SFS). The backcross showed gradual increase and nonresponsiveness of plasma leptin to SFS. During summer grazing, attenuation of plasma leptin and sudden elevation when shifted to winter feedlot fattening were observed in purebred. Plasma leptin obtained linear relationship with body weight of purebred (r=0.53;p<0.001) and backcrossed Hereford (r=0.49; p<0.01). The purebred and backcrossed Hereford, when shifted to summer grazing, resulted to sustained and restricted daily gain, respectively. Therefore, cattle breeds of higher growth potential exhibit significant elevation of plasma leptin after 400 kg BW, when animal starts to deposit significant body fat.