강우를 대서양과 태평양으로 배수하는 Continental Divide는 북미의 4대 주요 분수령 중 가장 중요한 수문학적 분수령으로 몬태나, 아이다호, 와이오밍, 콜로라도, 뉴멕시 코 등 5개 주에 걸쳐있으며, 북쪽으로 미국-캐나다의 국경 에서 남쪽의 미국-멕시코 국경까지 약 5,000km에 걸쳐 있 다. 미 국립공원관리청은 1980년대 초기부터 '생명징후 (vital sign) 모니터링' 이라는 용어를 사용였으며, 이는 보호 지역 자연자원의 전반적인 현황 또는 건강상태를 확인하고 보다 효율적인 관리를 위해 간섭이 필요한 상황들에 대한 조기경보 제공 등을 위한 적합한 표본을 추출 및 관리 하는 것을 목표로 하고 있다. 효율적인 보호지역 자연자원 관리를 위하여 국립공원관 리청은 미국내 주요 자연자원을 270개 이상의 공원을 포함 하는 32개의 생태지역 네트워크로 설정하여 장기적인 생태 모니터링 프로그램을 개발하였으며, 모니터링 프로그램은 보호지역 생태계의 장기적인 보호를 위하여 관련기관 또는 전문가 및 일반대중과 협력하며, 의사 결정의 기초를 위한 자연자원의 변화와 현황에 대한 광범위한 이해를 바탕으로 공원관리자들의 활동을 지원하는 것을 목표로 하고 있다. 또한, 체계적인 생명징후 모니터링 프로그램을 통해 얻은 폭넓고 과학적이며 신뢰할 수 있는 정보는 보호 자원에 대 한 의사 결정, 연구, 교육, 대중의 이해 증진 등 다양한 목적 을 위해 활용이 가능하다.

Transgenic mice containing GH Receptor (GHR) gene fused to metallothionein promoter were analyzed to evaluate effect of GHR expression on growth in vivo. Three founder mice lines contained copies of GHR transgene and transmitted these genes into F₁ and F₂ progenies. The mRNA expression of transgene was identified using RT-PCR with GHR genes in tissues. To analyze the effects of transgenes on growth performance, body weights of pups were measured at 4, 10 and 14 weeks after birth. The body weight of transgenic mice was higher compared with that of non-transgenic control mice regardless of sex (P<0.05). Body weights between transgenic and non-transgenic mice were increased with aging. Overall, GHR transgenic mice tended to grow about 10 to 15 ％ faster than non-transgenic mice without any pathological defects.

This study was carried out to find out the changes on serum concentrations of estradiol-17β, progesterone in primiparous Duroc, Landrace and Yorkshire sows weaned at 7 or 21 days. Also, we compared the litter size at birth and weaning among the breeds weaned after lactation for 7 or 21 days. The estradiol-17β concentrations among the breeds were 6.9∼8.8 pg/ml and 6.4∼8.8 pg/ml after lactation for 7 or 21 days, respectively. The progesterone concentrations ranged from 0.3 ng/ml to 1.6 ng/ml. Duroc sow showed higher progesterone concentration compared with Landrace and Yorkshire sows weaned after lactation for 7 or 21 days. Also, we found out that litter size at birth and weaning, respectively, did not show any differences between day 7 and day 21 of lactation. From the facts mentioned above, it was suggested that very early weaning systems could work with no apparent adverse effect on prolificacy.

Transgenic animals production tools have been valuable for research and purpose. The current methods of gene transfer, microinjection and nuclear transfer, which are widely used in transgenic animal production, but all most methods has only had limited success in production of larger species. Here, we report the possibility of a sperm-mediated gene transfer method in porcine embryos. Oocytes were collected from ovaries harvested at a local slaughterhouse were matured in 500 drops of TCM-199 under mineral oil at 38.5 in a humidified atmosphere of 5%CO2 in air. After 42-43h of in vitro maturation oocytes were denuded. for sperm injection into the cytoplasm of the porcine oocytes, sperm suspension in NIM medium are subjected extraction with TritonX-100 before mixing with a green fluorescent gene (GFP). Sperm with Tritonx-100 were prepared by adding TritonX-100 to a final volume of 0.05% in the sperm suspension and mixing by trituration for 60s before two wishes in NIM medium at 2. A(ter wishing, sperm were mixed with TritonX-100 at followed by washes at 2. Sperm were resuspended in ice cold NIM to a final volume of 400 and 2-20ng/ DNA were triturated on ice for 60s. All microinjection was performed in HEPES-buffered CZB medium at room temperature within 2h. After culture in NCSU-23 for 72h, percent of porcine embryos transfected GFP gene are 20.7%(6/29) in 20ng/ sperm-DNA mixed group and other groups were 3.7 %(2/54)and 4.7%(3/67). These data suggests that sperm-mediated gene transfer method should be used to the production tool of transgenic pig efficiently.