Acetic acid bacteria strains were isolated from a variety of fermented foods and fallen fruits. Among them, the strain MAK88, whose acetic acid fermentation ability, acid-tolerance, and alcohol-tolerance were high, was selected and identified as Acetobacter orientalis. A seed culture of A. orientalis MAK88 was inoculated into onion juice, and the optimum conditions of acetic acid fermentation was investigated. The optimum initial concentration of ethanol in onion juice was 5% (v/v) and in that condition, acidity was 4.31% at 144 h of fermentation. The optimum initial concentration of acetic acid was 1% and the final acidity was 5.32%. The optimum fermentation temperature was determined to be 28oC. The most appropriate preparation method of onion juice was to heat the onion at 121oC for 15 min and produce juice with pressure followed by filtering, and then sterilization at 121oC for 15 min. Prepared onion juice was used for fermentation without dilution.

Pathologic chronic inflammation, such as that seen with microbial infection and autoimmune diseases, creates microenvironmental conditions that promote cancer. Therefore, if chronic inflammation can be alleviated, the risk of carcinoge- nesis may decrease. Turmeric is a dried rhizome powder from Curcuma longa. Curcumin, the major constituent of turmeric, presents anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial and chemopreventive activities. In the present study, we investigated immune responses to dietary turmeric in ICR mice to determine the effects of turmeric when used as a dietary chemoprevention agent. After dietary turmeric was given for three or six weeks to ICR male mice, the immune responses were characterized. The methods of characterization involved; the determination of the T cell subpopulation in the spleen, relative mRNA expression levels of IFN-γ and TNF-α and serum lysozyme activity. Dietary turmeric was found to decrease spleen weight, decrease the proportion of CD4-CD8+ T cells, and decrease phagocytic activity. These results suggest that turmeric might alleviate abnormal chronic inflammation by the action of immune suppression.

Cell-free fetal RNA has been highlighted as useful tools for the fetal sex determination or other genetic inherent disorder. However, there is no knowledge about the sex determination using cell free fetal RNA in bovine field. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the presence of transcripts of DDX3Y, USP9Y and ZRSR2Y genes in maternal plasma of pregnant cows to determine the sex of the fetus using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay, and verify its accuracy, sensitivity and specificity compared with the molecular testing and the calf sex at birth. Transcripts of USP9Y and DDX3Y genes were expressed in the all plasma of males and females both the control group and the experimental group. However, ZRSR2Y gene was matched up with the molecular testing and the true sex in control group and has an overall accuracy of 82.6%, a sensitivity of 75%, and a specificity of 100% in experimental group. Therefore, these results indicated that real time PCR technique, as a noninvasive and cost-efficient method, is possible to determination fetal sex in the bovine species using circulating cell free RNA in maternal plasma and especially ZRSR2Y gene could be a good candidate for the RNA based sex determination work.

Our previous study demonstrated that fermented four-herb combination (Ulgum, Yagmomil, Maesil and Bokbunja) with probiotics (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bacillus subtilis) (hence, this additives was designated PFH) have immune enhancing and antibacterial effects in broiler chickens. The aims of the present study were to investigate the effects of PFH on growth performance and meat quality of broiler chickens. Twenty-day-old Ross broiler chickens were fed with or without PFH for 2 weeks. Body weight gain of the 2% PFH-fed group was significantly increased compared with those of the control group (*P<0.05). Moreover, body weight gain of the 1% PFH-fed group was also showed a increased tendency compared with the control group, although the difference was not significant (P=0.06). However, no significant difference in feed intake was observed among the groups. Feed conversion ratio of the 2% PFH-fed group was significantly decreased compared with those of the control group (*P <0.05). In addition, feed conversion ratio of the 1% PFH-fed group was also showed a slightly decreased tendency compared with the control group, although the difference was not significant (P=0.07). However, no significant differences in the proximate composition (moisture, crude fat, crude protein and crude ash) and the physico-chemical index (cooking loss, shearing force, water holding capacity and pH) were found among the groups. In addition, succulence, tending and flavor in meat of all 3 groups were also not different. Taken together, these findings suggest the possibility that PFH could be used as the alternative of antibiotic growth promoters by improving the performance of broiler chickens.

선박은 해상에서 정박시 앵커를 이용함으로써 선박에 작용하는 외력에 대항하여 주묘를 방지하고 선박의 안전성을 확보하여야 한 다. 선박의 안전한 투묘 작업을 수행하기 위해서는 앵커의 파주운동과 파주력 특성에 대한 기본적인 이해가 필요하다. 앵커의 초기 투묘시 해 저에서의 앵커 자세에 따르는 파주운동과 파주력 특성을 파악하기 위하여 길이 6미터의 저질이 모래인 수조에서 앵커 모형의 예인 실험을 실 시하였다. 실험에 사용된 앵커 모형은 실무에서 많이 사용되고 있는 ASS형과 AC-14형 앵커를 대상으로 하였다. 실험 결과 앵커 형태와 관계 없이 앵커의 초기 위치가 예인 방향과 동일한 경우와 직각으로 놓여 진 상태에서는 앵커 플루크가 최대 깊이까지 파고 들어 가고, 이 최대 깊 이에서 일정한 심도를 유지한 채 파주운동을 하고 있는 것을 확인하였다. 앵커가 예인 방향과 반대 방향으로 초기 투묘된 경우 다른 초기 위치 상태에 비해서 파주력 계수 값이 작아지는 모습을 보이고 있으므로 앵커 투묘시 특히 주의를 해야 될 것으로 판단된다.