• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.861-867
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• 2008

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of exogenous ghrelin on the behaviors, weight gain, and feed intakes of weanling piglets. A total of 25 pairs of Duroc$\times$Landrace$\times$Large White piglets weaned at 21 days of age were used in this experiment which finished on day 36. Each pair of healthy piglets from the same litter with similar body weight and of the same gender were selected and randomly arranged to ghrelin or control groups. Thus, there were 50 piglets (ghrelin 25; control 25) kept in 10 pens (ghrelin 5; control 5) and 5 piglets per pen. Initial body weight of the pigs did not differ between the control and ghrelin treatment ($7.43{\pm}0.17kg$; p = 0.81). Experimental pigs were infused with ghrelin ($1{\mu}g/d$ pig) via the marginal ear vein between 0750 and 0800 h at 22, 23, 24 days of age. Control pigs were infused with 0.9% saline. Feed consumption was measured on days 23, 24, 25, 29 and 36. Body weight was measured on days 22, 23, 24, 25, 29 and 36. Behavior data of individual piglets were collected by real-time observation from 0800-1500 h through remote supervisory equipment at 22, 23 and 24 days of age. The results indicated that ghrelin infusion could increase drinking (p<0.05) and lying behaviors (p<0.01) and decrease mounting behaviors (p<0.05). No significant influence of ghrelin was found on average daily weight gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) in this experiment (p>0.05). In conclusion, exogenous ghrelin by the method above and at the dosage of $1{\mu}g/d$ pig could cause a variety of behavioral effects, but not improve performance of weanling piglets.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.9
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• pp.1330-1338
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• 2008

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of Acanthopanax senticosus extract (ASE) as a dietary additive on gut microflora in weaned piglets. A total of sixty pigs were weaned at 21 d of age (BW = $5.64{\pm}0.23kg$) and allocated on the basis of BW and litter to three dietary treatments in a randomized complete block design. The dietary treatments were: control group (basal diet), antibiotics group (basal diet+0.02% colistin), and ASE group (basal diet+0.1% ASE). On d 7, 14 and 28 after consuming the experimental diets, five piglets per group were sacrificed and then the contents from the jejunum, ileum and cecum were collected to determine changes in the microbial community by using a polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) technique and estimating the contents of Lactobacillus and E. coli by in vitro culturing methods. The results showed that the ASE promoted the microflora diversity in the cecum. Enumeration of bacteria in the gut contents showed that the number of Lactobacillus increased (p<0.05), while that of E. coli decreased (p<0.05) when compared with the other 2 groups as the days of age progressed post-weaning. These findings suggested that the ASE, as a substitute for dietary antimicrobial products, could improve the development of the normal gut microflora and suppress bacterial pathogens, and effectively promote a healthy intestinal environment.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.1610-1615
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• 2001

Three studies were conducted to determine the effect of sex on pre- and post-weaning performance of pigs. These studies were conducted in response to observations that female pigs appear to grow faster than male pigs after weaning. In addition, female pigs have been found to grow faster than male pigs when supplied with supplemental milk before weaning. The aims of the present work were to further characterise the ontogeny of sex differences growth of nursing and growing pigs. In the first study, piglets sucking 32 sows were crossfostered to produce litters of 10 boars (n=9), 10 gilts (n=l 1) or 5 boars and 5 gilts (n=12). Liveweight of the sucking pigs was then measured weekly until weaning at 4 weeks of age. In the second study, 80 boars and 80 gilts were weaned at 26 days of age and growth performance measured until 21 days post-weaning. In the third experiment, 40 boars and 40 gilts were weaned into groups of 5 pigs at either 17 or 25 days of age and pigs were weighed until they were approximately 90 kg liveweight. All-boar litters grew more slowly than the all-gilt and mixed litters such that by 14 days of age the all-boar litters were 10% lighter than the all-gilt or mixed litters (39 vs. 43.8 kg, p=0.050). The proportional difference in litter weight appeared to be maintained at 21 days of age (53.9 vs. 59.4 kg, p=0.063) but was diminished by 28 days of age (66.5 vs. 70.8 kg, p=0.28). In the second study, gilts grew more quickly than boars over the first 7 and 21 days post-weaning and as a consequence were 10% heavier than boars at 21 days after weaning (13.7 vs 12.48 kg, p=0.001). In the third study, gilts grew more quickly than boars in the immediate 7 days post-weaning (40 vs. 5 g/day, p=0.014) whereas from 7 until 35 days post-weaning there was no significant difference in growth rate (381 vs. 360 g/day, p=0.19). Gilts also grew more quickly than boars over the 14 days after being moved into the grower (631 vs. 570 g/day, p=0.013) and finisher (749 vs. 688 g/day, p=0.038) sheds. However, these differences were not maintained over the entire period in each shed. These data support the hypotheses that gilts handle the stresses of weaning and other transitions better than boars.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.33 no.3 s.91
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• pp.295-303
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• 2000

The water clarification efficiency was examined in a shallow wetland where dense vegetation was formed naturally in an abandoned paddy field. And, also two enclosure experiments were carried out to measure the effects of materials exchange between sediment and the overlying water with the existence of vegetation and accumulated litter. The hydraulic retention time of wetland was regulated in 1.2 day. The removal rates of SS (56%) and $NO_3-N$ (61%) were high, considering its short retention time. However, removal efficiencies of VSS (28%), COD (14%), DOC (1%),and TP (0.2%) were relatively lower. This low removal efficiencies were thought to be due to the release of dissolved form of organic matter and phosphorus from the sediment. Most of constituents except nitrate were higher in the enclosure at the beginning of enclosure installation than that of the outflowing water from wetland. And then, it has fluctuated and decreased with time. The wetland was in equilibrium state of settling, accumulation of organic debris, and regeneration of dissolved material from sediment. So ultimately high primary production by dense vegetation in the wetland may be the reason of unfavorable or low treatment efficiency of wetland after many years of operation for wastewater treatment. However, the water quality of effluent from the wetland showed smaller variation and better condition than that of inflow, especially during storm events. It can be concluded that this wetland is suitable for the improvement of water quality from nonpoint sources.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.363-370
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• 2014

Various ecosystem carry out fundamental function of material circulation and energy flow through interrelationship with many environmental factors. Therefore, it is crucial to scientifically understand the value of nature to deduce correlation between environmental factor and change of ecosystem function. In this study, we determined the accumulated ecosystem carbon and characteristics of soil respiration on grassland vegetation in Namahangang basin in Namhangang Basin. It was found that the rate of soil respiration was highly correlated with the soil temperature in all communities. The measured soil respiration rates were $1,539mgCO_2\;m^{-2}h^{-1}$, $1,200mgCO_2\;m^{-2}h^{-1}$, $1,215mgCO_2\;m^{-2}h^{-1}$ in Miscanthus sacchariflorus, Phragmites japonica, Salix koreensis communities, respectively. Also, carbon quantities accumulated in litter and soil layers were $40.6tCha^{-1}$ (1.9+38.7), $46.9tCha^{-1}$ (43.0+3.9), $31.2tCha^{-1}$ (28.9+2.3) in M. sacchariflorus, P. japonica, S. koreensis communities, respectively.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.386-394
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• 2018

Objective: This experiment evaluated the effect of dietary supplementation levels of rapeseed meal (RSM) in gestation diets on reproductive performance, blood profiles, milk composition of sows, and growth of their progeny. Methods: A total of 55 mixed-parity sows ($Yorkshire{\times}Landrace$; average parity = 3.82) with an initial body weight (BW) of 193.0 kg were used in this experiment. Sows were allotted to one of 5 treatments at breeding based on BW and backfat thickness in a completely randomized design. Treatments consisted of dietary RSM supplementation levels (0%, 3%, 6%, 9%, and 12%) in gestation diets. During lactation all sows were fed a common lactation diet with no RSM supplementation. Results: Body weight, backfat thickness, litter size, lactation feed intake, and milk composition of sows, and growth of their progeny were not different among dietary treatments. In blood profiles, a quadratic increase (Quadratic, p<0.05) in serum triiodothyronine (T3) concentration and a linear increase (Linear, p<0.01) in serum thyroxine (T4) concentration were observed at d 110 of gestation as dietary RSM supplementation levels increased. However, serum T3 and T4 concentrations in lactating sows and their piglets were not affected by RSM supplementation of gestation diets. Concentrations of serum total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol in sows were not influenced by dietary treatments, whereas serum glucose level in sows decreased linearly at d 110 of gestation (Linear, p<0.05) by increasing dietary RSM supplementation in gestation diets. Conclusion: The RSM could be supplemented to gestation diets up to 12% with no detrimental effects on reproductive performance and growth of their progeny. However, increasing supplementation levels of RSM in gestation diets may increase serum T3 and T4 concentrations and decrease serum glucose concentration of sows in late gestation.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.315-325
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• 2014

Valuation of ecosystem services through organic carbon distribution and cycling in the Quercus mongolica forest at Mt. Worak national park were investigated from May 2012 through April 2013. The amount of carbon allocated to above and below ground biomass was 81.94 and 20.53 ton C/ha. Amount of organic carbon in litter layer was 6.49 ton C/ha. Amount of organic carbon within 50 soil depth was 141.23 ton C $ha^{-1}$ $50cm-depth^{-1}$. Total amount of organic carbon in this Quercus mongolica forest was estimated to 250.19 ton C $ha^{-1}$. The estimated amount of won in this Quercus mongolica forest in terms of total organic carbon was about 5.27 million won $ha^{-1}$. The amount of carbon evolved through soil respiration was 7.31 ton C $ha^{-1}yr^{-1}$. The amount of carbon evolved through microbial respiration and root respiration was 3.58 and 3.73 ton C $ha^{-1}yr^{-1}$, respectively. The amount of organic carbon absorbed from the atmosphere of this Quercus mongolica forest was 1.61 ton C $ha^{-1}yr^{-1}$ when estimated from the difference between net primary production and microbial respiration. This amount will come to about 33,000 won $ha^{-1}yr^{-1}$ in Korean currency.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.332-338
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• 2015

Valuation of ecosystem services through organic carbon distribution and cycling in the Pinus densiflora forest at Mt. Worak National Park were investigated from January 2013 through December 2013. The amount of carbon allocated to above and below ground biomass was 32.17 and 8.04 ton C $ha^{-1}$. Amount of organic carbon in litter layer was 5.55 ton C $ha^{-1}$. Amount of organic carbon within 50cm soil depth was 58.62 ton C $ha^{-1}$ 50cm-$depth^{-1}$. Total amount of organic carbon in this Pinus densiflora forest was estimated to 104.38 ton C $ha^{-1}$. The estimated amount of won in this Pinus densiflora forest in terms of total organic carbon was about 10.44 million won $ha^{-1}$. The amount of carbon evolved through soil respiration was 4.44 ton C $ha^{-1}yr^{-1}$. The amount of carbon evolved through microbial respiration and root respiration was 2.18 and 2.27 ton C $ha^{-1}yr^{-1}$, respectively. The amount of organic carbon absorbed from the atmosphere of this Pinus densiflora forest was 0.44 ton C $ha^{-1}yr^{-1}$ when estimated from the difference between net primary production and microbial respiration. This amount will come to about 44,000 won $ha^{-1}$ in Korean currency.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.43-60
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• 2019

Background: Tropical montane forests played an important role in the provision of ecosystem services. The intense degradation and deforestation for the need of agricultural land expansion result in a significant decline of forest cover. However, the expansion of agricultural land did not completely destruct natural forests. There remain forests inaccessible for agricultural and grazing purpose. Studies on these forests remained scant, motivating to investigate biomass and soil carbon stocks. Data of biomass and soils were collected in 80 quadrats ($400m^2$) systematically in 5 forests. Biomass and disturbance gradients were determined using allometric equation and disturbance index, respectively. The regression modeling is employed to explore the spatial distribution of carbon stock along disturbance and environmental gradients. Correlation analysis is also employed to identify the relation between site factors and carbon stocks. Results: The result revealed that a total of 1655 individuals with a diameter of ${\geq}5cm$, representing 38 species, were measured in 5 forests. The mean aboveground biomass carbon stocks (AGB CS) and soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks at 5 forests were $191.6{\pm}19.7$ and $149.32{\pm}6.8Mg\;C\;ha^{-1}$, respectively. The AGB CS exhibited significant (P < 0.05) positive correlation with SOC and total nitrogen (TN) stocks, reflecting that biomass seems to be a general predictor of SOCs. AGB CS between highly and least-disturbed forests was significantly different (P < 0.05). This disturbance level equates to a decrease in AGB CS of 36.8% in the highly disturbed compared with the least-disturbed forest. In all forests, dominant species sequestrated more than 58% of carbon. The AGB CS in response to elevation and disturbance index and SOC stocks in response to soil pH attained unimodal pattern. The stand structures, such as canopy cover and basal area, had significant positive relation with AGB CS. Conclusions: Study results confirmed that carbon stocks of studied forests were comparable to carbon stocks of protected forests. The biotic, edaphic, topographic, and disturbance factors played a significant variation in carbon stocks of forests. Further study should be conducted to quantify carbon stocks of herbaceous, litter, and soil microbes to account the role of the whole forest ecosystem.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.8
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• pp.1104-1111
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• 2019

Objective: The aim of this study was to detect single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of G protein-coupled receptor 54 (GPR54) gene and explore association of this candidate gene with reproductive traits in Jiaxing Black sows. Methods: Six pairs of primers of the gene were designed to amplify all exons thus sequences of which were detected by means of direct sequencing and then SNP loci were scanned. The effects of SNPs on total number of piglets born (TNB), number of piglets born alive (NBA), number of still born piglets (NSB), and litter weight at birth (LWB) of Jiaxing Black sows were analyzed. Results: Three SNP loci, including T3739C, C3878T and T6789C, were identified via comparison of sequencing and two genotypes (AB, BB) at each SNP site were observed. T3739C resulted in the change of amino acid ($Leu{\rightarrow}Pro$) in corresponding protein, and C3878T resulted in synonymous mutation ($Ile{\rightarrow}Ile$). Statistical results demonstrated that allele B was the preponderant allele at the three SNP loci and Genotype BB was the preponderant genotype. Meanwhile, Chi-Square test of these three SNPs indicated that all mutation sites fitted in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (p>0.05). For GPR54-T3739C locus, Jiaxing Black sows with genotype BB had 1.23 TNB and 1.28 NBA (p<0.01) that were more than those with genotype AB, respectively. Jiaxing Black sows that had the first two parities with genotype BB had additional 2.23 TNB, 2.27 NBA (p<0.01), and 1.94 LWB (p<0.05) compared to those with genotype AB, respectively. However, for other two loci, no significant difference was found between TNB, NBA, NSB, and LWB, and different genotypes of Jiaxing Black sows. Conclusion: In conclusion, the polymorphisms of GPR54-T3739C locus were significantly associated to TNB, NBA, and LWB and could be used as a potential genetic marker to improve reproductive function of Jiaxing black sows.