• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.171-176
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• 2020

Advancing the estrous cycle of mares is an essential breeding strategy that is routinely conducted by Thoroughbred breeders to improve economic outcomes. For this purpose, Equilume light masks have been developed as an alternative to existing technologies such as artificial lighting or hormonal treatments because they are considered as valid as existing methods with additional animal welfare advantages. For example, with the Equilume light masks, horses can be let out into the pasture, whereas they have to be kept indoors during lighting treatment. Because the function of Equilume light mask on the estrous cycle of mares is influenced by environmental factors such as nutrition condition and temperature, Equilume light mask should be studied in various environments. The objective of the present study was thus to verify the effect of Equilume light masks on the onset of the estrous cycle in Thoroughbred mares in South Korea. Mares were randomly selected and separated into two groups at two Thoroughbred horse breeding farms. The mares in the treatment group were equipped with Equilume light masks from November 18 to February 10 the following year. The body condition, the number and size (> 35 mm) of uterine follicles, and the uterine horn score of the mares were assessed on January 6 and February 10. The body condition scores were not different between the two groups. The treatment with the Equilume light mask had no positive effects on developing follicles and the reproductive tract. In conclusion, the use of Equilume light masks did not influence the seasonal resumption of the estrus cycles in Thoroughbred mares in South Korea.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.189-193
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• 2012

This experiment was conducted to study variations of serum testosterone and seminal characteristics of Markhoz male goats. Blood samples were obtained via jugular vein, and semen was collected by using an artificial vagina from 14 fertile male goats (2-3 years of age), at 15-day intervals starting on 15 July and ending on 30 October 2010 (during breeding and non-breeding season). Semen volume, total sperm (volume${\times}$concentration), live sperm (%), abnormal sperm (%) and semen pH were significantly superior during the late summer and early autumn (breeding season). Variation of sperm density, motility and progressive motility was not significant during the sampling period. The results presented show that the lowest and highest levels of lactate dehydrogenase in the seminal plasma were recorded in late October (2.82 U/ml) and in late August (4.81 U/ml), respectively. Moreover, the study indicated that the serum testosterone concentration was higher during late summer and early autumn (p<0.05) than at any other of sampling period. There were negative correlations between volume and sperm density (-0.135, p<0.05), and positive correlations between volume and percentage live sperm (0.224) and percentage progressive motility (0.194, p<0.01). Sperm density was correlated with live sperm (0.200, p<0.05) and progressive motility (0.202, p<0.01). The correlation between live sperm and progressive motility was 0.554 (p<0.01). Furthermore, the results in this study indicated a significant positive correlation between live sperm and LDH (0.450) and a negative correlation between sperm density and LDH concentration (-0.272) (p<0.01). Significant, but positive correlations were found between sperm motility and LDH (0.542) and testosterone concentration (0.522), respectively (p<0.05). In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the best obtained semen was collected in late summer (during decreasing photoperiod) and early autumn (September and October). This also coincides with the natural breeding season of Markhoz goats in Iran.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.75-80
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• 2015

Calf losses have an economic impact on larger Korean native cattle (KNC) breeding farms due to replacement, productivity, and marketing. However, little research on KNC calf mortality or causes of calf death on large-scale breeding farms has been conducted. Based on medical records and autopsy findings from the Hanwoo experimental station of the National Institute of Animal Science, calf death records from 2002 to 2011 were used to identify the causes of mortality. Mortality rate of KNC calves was 5.7%. Large differences (1.8~12.6%) in yearspecific mortalities were observed. Calf deaths were due to digestive diseases (68.7%), respiratory diseases (20.9%), accidents (6.0%), and other known diseases (2.2%). The main cause of calf death was enteritis followed by pneumonia, rumen indigestion, and intestinal obstruction. The greatest number of calf deaths occurred during the fall followed by summer. These results indicated that enteritis and pneumonia were the main reasons for calf death. However, autopsy findings demonstrated that other factors also caused calf death. This study suggested that seasonal breeding and routine vaccinations are the most important factors for preventing calf death, and improving calf health in high land areas with low temperature.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.325-329
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• 1994

Seasonal and diurnal variation in serum testosterone was measured by radioimmunossary in 3 mature Korean native male goats. Blood was collected at 3-h intervals for 24h in each season. Mean levels of 4 seasons ranged from 0.82 to 2.06ng/ml and no difference was among seasons, although level in fall and winter was slightly higher. Diurnal level tended to increase at daytime in all season and when diurnal variation in level was compared to daily mean of each season, level of daytime greatly(P<0.05) increased in summer. However, variation between light and dark period in other seasons did not show significant difference. Daytime increase of testosterone was found 3 to 4 after dawn and level increased 1 to 2h ahead in summer and fall than that in others. These results in serum testosterone suggest that there was no great seasonal variation in endocrine function of goat testis.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.24 no.1 s.61
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• pp.1-6
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• 2006

Abstract - Global decline in wildlife mammals has been accelerated during past decades. Especially the conservation the wild life mammals in polar areas, is urgent. In an effort to understand the reproduction of the seals dwelling in the polar area, spermatogenesis in the seals was reviewed. Seals breed seasonally and in most of the seal species, delayed implantation is frequently observed. To date, histological and endocrinological evaluation revealed highly cyclic nature in supermatogenesis and steroidogenesis in testis. Seasonal changes in blood testosterone level together with melatonin is closely related with changes in light cycle between summer and winter. In adult testis at breeding seasons, spermatogenesis is manifested by consecutive 18 stages of germ cell development. Three kinds of Leydig cells different in steroidogenic activity as well as cellular morphology appear during the testis development. During non-breeding season, spermatogenic arrest and Leydig cell hypoplasia are frequently found. Interestingly, blood circulation through the anastomoses of pelvic veins cooled the testes and thus guarantees spermatogenesis within the body trunk. Endocrine disruptors and heavy metals have been found in the body tissues of several seals species and alter steroidogenesis in seals, suggesting environmental pollutants together with decrease in habitats are potentially threatening the reproductive success in seal species.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.53-61
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• 1997

Seasonal variation of the population structure and the reproductive pattern of the Korean striped field mouse, Apodemus agrarius, were investigated. High capture ratios in juveniles, young adult, and old adult mice were found during the period from October to November, from November to March, and from May to September, respectively, and extremely low capture ratios of old adults during the period from November to February were characteristic. It seemed that the young adults that survived during the winter might become older by summer and have been counted as the old adults. The breeding in the mice began earlier in males (from mid February or early March to late October) than in females (from mid March to late October), having a peak in August and September, and both the male and female mice weighing more than 20 g generally reached sexual maturation in general. In the breeding season, both young and old adult males had large testes with enlarged seminiferous tubules filled with numerous germ and Sertoli cells, and expanded caudal epididymides with a vast number of spermatozoa; the females had many Graafian follicles and corpora lutea in large ovaries, and developed uterine glands in the thick endometria. The lower ratios of the testis weight to the body weight in July and August in 1994 compared to 1995 seemed due to the extreme drought and considerably higher temperature in 1994, but the decrease in the ratio in mid-summer, only in the old mice, in both years might be explained partially by aging.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.31-37
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• 2012

Many mammals in temperate zones are affected by the distinctive changes of the four seasons in these zones. Their reproductive status is active in the summer climate and inactive during severe winter weather. The golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) is seasonal breeding animal whose sexual activities are regulated by photoperoidism. The reproduction and metabolism are activated by long summer days (LD) and inhibited by short winter days (SD). After several months of SD, animals become refractory to this inhibitory photoperiod and spontaneously revert to LD-like physiology. The suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) house the primary circadian oscillator in mammals. Seasonal changes in the photic input to this structure control many annual physiological rhythms via SCN-regulated pineal melatonin secretion, which provides an internal endocrine signal representing photoperiod. The aim of this study was to assess the variation in the morphology of the testis in relation to the natural photoperiod in male golden hamsters. The hamsters were castrated at different weeks (2, 5, 8, and 15). The cell numbers of tubules with spermatogonia (SG), spermatocyte (SC), spermatids (ST), and spermatozoa (SZ) were recorded in each sample. The results showed that testicular regression of golden hamsters occurred in the SD-treated animals. The present investigation determines that the effects of the photoperiod on the reproduction of male golden hamsters. It was also found that the circadian period increases the rate of reproductive inhibition in animals exposed to inhibitory photoperiods.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.229-235
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• 1994

It is very important to investigate the sanitary chemical conditions of farmwaters used for cattle breeding in the dairy farms. For this purpose we examined pH, KMnO4 consumption, total hardness, chloride, sulfate, NH3-N, NO3-N, fluoride, lead, iron, manganese, cadmium, copper, zinc and chrome in the farmwaters sampled 2 times(spring and summer)in Choongcheongnam and Kangwon Province. The pH of farmwaters in Choongcheongnam and Kangwon Province was 6.49$\pm$0.09, 6.70$\pm$0.06, total hardness 90.21$\pm$7.07, 64.53$\pm$6.38 mg/ι, consumption of KMnO4 4.13$\pm$0.62, 4.34$\pm$0.26mg/ι, NO3-N 6.51$\pm$0.55, 3.61$\pm$0.58 mg/ι, chloride ion 20.51$\pm$1.99, 5.41$\pm$1.36 mg/ι and sulfate ion 6.61$\pm$1.02, 7.28$\pm$1.30 mg/ι, respectively. But NH3-N was scarcely detected. Fluoride, iron, lead, cadmium, zinc, manganese and chrome were not detected from the tested farmwaters. There was high significance between each other in total hardness, NO3-N, chloride ion and sulfate ion. There was regional and seasonal significance in only NO3-N but only regional significance in total hardness and chloride ion.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.79-88
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• 2020

This study was carried out to obtain information on the developmental biology and the management of biological resources of the abalone Haliotis gigantea in Korea. The sex ratio (female:male) in the present study was 1:1.7 and the proportion of females was 36.6% (n=106/290). Their gonadal structures displayed definitive seasonal changes which were similar in pattern to the changes in the gonad index (GI). The GI showed a pattern of definitive seasonal changes in both males and females it was high in the fall and low in the spring. The reproductive cycle could be categorized into the following six stages: inactive, early active, late active, ripe, spent, and degenerative stage. Based on the monthly changes in GI and stages of gonadal development, October to November was determined to be the main spawning period for H. gigantea on Jeju Island, Korea.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.19
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• pp.78-82
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• 1975

The fatty acid composition of the oil in the rapeseed grown by spring and autumn planting were determined by gas liquid phase chromatography. Erucic acid content of the rapeseed oil grown by autumn planting was higher than that produced by spring planting, but the contents of oleic acid and linoleic acid were lower in autumn planting than those in spring planting. There was significant difference at 1% level between seasonal plantings. The reasons for the different fatty acid compositions were the low integrated temperature, the high amount of precipitation and the short hours of sunshine during the maturing period in autumn planting.