The slaughter of livestock is inevitably required to obtain meat products from livestock. Since slaughter means pain and death for animals, reducing the pain and distress of animals during slaughter is very important from a perspective of animal welfare based on the principle of respect for life. Generally, two stunning methods, CO2 stunning and electrical stunning, are used for slaughter. When the carotid arteries of the lungs are cut off for bleeding, the bronchial tubes are also severed. To determine the degree of blood inflow into the lungs through the severed bronchial tubes, the prevalence rates of pulmonary diseases and pulmonary congestion in slaughtered pigs were analyzed. In this study, the prevalence of pneumonia was 24.9% in Slaughterhouse A using the gas method, but it was decreased by about 10% to 15.7% and 12.6%, respectively, in Slaughterhouses B and C using the electric method. On the other hand, the prevalence of pulmonary congestion in Slaughterhouses A, B, and C was 4.24%, 14.10% and 16.40%, respectively. In other words, the prevalence of pulmonary congestion was higher by about 10% in the groups of pigs slaughtered by the electric method (Slaughterhouses B and C) than in the group of pigs slaughtered by the gas method (Slaughterhouse A). These results indicate that blood inflow into the pulmonary alveoli led to a diagnosis of pulmonary congestion instead of pneumonia in some pigs with pneumonia. In short, it was found that about 10% of pigs stunned by the electric method were not in a state of complete unconsciousness but in a partially conscious state during slaughter. It is suggested that slaughterhouses should be equipped with gas stunning equipment instead of applying the electric method due to lower costs.

Most patients with chronic low back pain experience functional disability of trunk muscle, and limitations in physical activity. While there are many types of exercise programs available, in recent years sling exercise has been emerging as the exercise program for spinal stabilization. It has been supported by a great amount of research with positive findings on its effectiveness. This research studies the effects of bridging exercise, conducted on a sling, on pain level and trunk muscle activation in supine, sidelying, and prone positions during a 4 weeks period. 10 healthy people(normal group, n=10) and 28 patients with low back pain participated in this study. 28 patients were divided into two groups; one group participated in exercise with the sling(experimental group, n=14) and the other group exercised without the sling(control group, n=14). They were asked to use the Numerical Rating Scale(NRS) to answer to the level of their pain they felt (no pain: 0 point, severe pain: 10 points). During sling bridging exercises, the muscle activity level in each muscle measured in each position was standardized as three seconds of EMG signals during five seconds MVIC. In conclusion, the experimental group with four weeks of sling bridging exercise experienced a statistically significant reduction in the pain level(p<.05) and increase in the muscle activities of erector spinae when in supine position, internal oblique when in sidelying position, and rectus abdominis in prone position(p<.05). Regular sling bridging exercise reduces the low back pain and enhances other trunk muscle activation, thereby positively affect spinal stabilization.

This study was conducted to investigate the quality characteristics and changes in isoflavone content of Cheonggukjang with added Chaga mushroom by secondary fermentation at 40 for 48 h with or without a starter, Lactobacillus acidophilus KCTC 3925. Cheonggukjang samples were divided into three groups: Control (unsterilized Cheonggukjang fermented without a starter), NS (unsterilized Cheonggukjang inoculated with L. acidophilus KCTC 3925), and YS (heat-sterilized Cheonggukjang inoculated with L. acidophilus KCTC 3925). The approximate composition of the three types of Cheonggukjang was 49.79-51.44% moisture, 4.54-4.72% crude ash, 43.21-44.37% crude protein, 11.58-13.65% crude fat, 37.41-40.07% carbohydrate, 31.92-33.82% dietary fiber. The mineral content included 5.43– 9.64 mg% Na, 1,792.86–1,824.39 mg% K, 253.69–326.09 mg% Ca, 619.37–691.20 mg% P, 92.59–110.59 mg% Fe, and 0.01–0.02 mg%Cd. Free amino acid contents of NS (2,520.92 mg%) and YS (2,421.94 mg%) were significantly higher than that of the control (2,236.76 mg%). Amino-type nitrogen content for the three types of Cheonggukjang ranged from 837.20-920.27 mg% with no significant difference. Ammonia-type nitrogen content ranged from 137.09-169.36 mg%. Supplement of Cheonggukjang with L. acidophilus KCTC 3925 increased production of aglycone isoflavons compared to that of control. Therefore, our results show that fermenting Chaga Cheonggukjang with L. acidophilus KCTC 3925 leads to improved quality characteristics and increased isoflavone aglycone content.

Background : This study was carried out to understand the effect of seedling weight (SW) on growth and flowering in Panax ginseng. Methods and Results : The testing materials were Chunpoong (CP), Yunpoong (YP) and Jakyeongjong (JK). The increase of seedling (1yr) weight led to an increase in ratio of flowering plant and in number of flower per plant. The seed setting rate of two year-old plant (CP, YP, JK) increased with increase of SW at the planting time (PT) and number of flower per plant of three year-old plant (CP, YP) increased also. In the two year-old plant (JK), the ratio of three leaves per plant was 8.8, 19.6, 31.0, 42.0, 44.7 and 58.2%, respectively, in the SW of >0.6, 0.6~0.8, 0.8~1.0, 1.02~1.2, 1.2~1.4 and 1.4g<. The growth of ginseng plant was good with increase of SW at the PT. Conclusion : There was a highly positive correlation between seedling weight and flowering characteristics.