This study was conducted to quantitatively verify whether payment motives and usage patterns differ according to the motivations of users of mobile character-collecting games. For this purpose, three user types were derived based on game motivation profiles tailored to mobile character-collecting games: Cluster 1 (Communicators), Cluster 2 (Character Collectors), and Cluster 3 (Competitors). It was confirmed that each cluster was mutually exclusive and exhibited different payment motives and usage patterns. These findings emphasize the value of a motivation-based segmentation strategy in understanding the behavior of mobile game users. Furthermore, based on the results of this study, game developers and publishers can more sophisticatedly tailor game content, monetization strategies, and marketing campaigns based on users' motivational profiles, rather than relying on simple demographic variables. Future research needs to expand the diversity of the sample by including a wider age range and considering a balanced gender distribution. Additionally, to gain a more in-depth understanding of the temporal changes in user motivation, future studies should explore potential causal relationships through a longitudinal research design.

Background: With the growing interest in the health of companion dogs, their average lifespan has increased, leading to an increase in the proportion of elderly dogs. As elderly dogs are vulnerable to various diseases, there is a need for alternatives to predict the risk of major diseases in senior dogs, prevent them in advance, and manage their health effectively. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify candidate genes and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) influencing primary angle-closure glaucoma, a major disease in elderly dogs, using the Axiom Canine HD Array and establishing foundational data. Methods: Samples from 95 dogs of 26 breeds from South Korea were analyzed using an SNP chip. Ultimately, two SNPs were selected. To assess the impact of non-synonymous SNP (nsSNPs), functional analysis of candidate genes, Hazard Assessment, and protein structure prediction were conducted. Sequencing for SNP validation involved samples from 95 dogs of ten breeds with reported domestic and international glaucoma cases. Results: The candidate gene TNS1 was associated with the integrin signaling pathway. The selected nsSNP was found to cause a mutation at the ninth position of the amino acid sequence, changing serine to leucine and resulting in alterations to the overall protein structure. Sequencing analysis results for SNP validation revealed differences in frequency among breeds. Conclusions: The identified SNP markers are potential risk prediction tools. Utilizing genotype frequency data by breed and individual could aid in disease management and contribute to advancements in the medical industry.

Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) plays a crucial role in animal cell culture; however, the increasing number of bovine fetuses used and sacrificed solely for FBS collection has raised ethical concerns globally. The welfare of fetuses during FBS blood collection has become a key focus of debate among animal welfare and ethics organizations worldwide. Previous studies indicate that heat-inactivated coelomic fluid (HI-CF) from the earthworm Perionyx excavatus may serve as a viable FBS alternative in adherent cell cultures. This study evaluates the potential of HI-CF as an FBS substitute during the in vitro maturation (IVM) stage of bovine embryo culture, with a focus on improving developmental rate through antioxidation effects. In this study, 2% HI-CF was incorporated into IVM media, assessing its impact on cell growth, differentiation, and the expression of genes related to antioxidation. The group of 2% of HI-CF exhibited a trend toward increased cleavage and blastocyst development rates compared to the control group. Although antioxidant genes such as NRF2 and GSR showed no statistically significant differences between the control and treatment groups, a trend toward increased expression was observed. Conversely, GPX1 displayed a trend of decreased expression. Notably, IGF1 and NQO1 were significant upregulated (p < 0.05) in the 2% HI-CF group. Additionally, oocytes stained with H2DCFDA showed a significantly reduced ROS levels (p < 0.05) in the 2% HI-CF group compared with controls. These findings suggest that HI-CF's antioxidative effects support enhanced cell growth and blastocyst development rate, surpassing those observed with FBS. Consequently, HI-CF shows promise as an effective alternative to FBS in vitro maturation of bovine oocytes.

Background: As the number of households raising companion dogs increases, the pet genetic analysis market also continues to grow. However, most studies have focused on specific purposes or native breeds. This study aimed to collect genomic data through single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip analysis of companion dogs in South Korea and perform genetic diversity analysis and SNP annotation. Methods: We collected samples from 95 dogs belonging to 26 breeds, including mixed breeds, in South Korea. The SNP genotypes were obtained for each sample using an Axiom™ Canine HD Array. Quality control (QC) was performed to enhance the accuracy of the analysis. A genetic diversity analysis was performed for each SNP. Results: QC initially selected SNPs, and after excluding non-diverse ones, 621,672 SNPs were identified. Genetic diversity analysis revealed minor allele frequencies, polymorphism information content, expected heterozygosity, and observed heterozygosity values of 0.220, 0.244, 0.301, and 0.261, respectively. The SNP annotation indicated that most variations had an uncertain or minimal impact on gene function. However, approximately 16,000 non-synonymous SNPs (nsSNPs) have been found to significantly alter gene function or affect exons by changing translated amino acids. Conclusions: This study obtained data on SNP genetic diversity and functional SNPs in companion dogs raised in South Korea. The results suggest that establishing an SNP set for individual identification could enable a gene-based registration system. Furthermore, identifying and researching nsSNPs related to behavior and diseases could improve dog care and prevent abandonment.

Background: The Hanwoo industry must develop technologies that can increase the production of preferred cuts to match changing consumer trends. In this study, we aimed to estimate the genetic parameters for carcass traits (carcass weight, eye muscle area, back fat thickness, and intramuscular fat) and primal cut traits (tenderloin, loin, strip loin, neck, clod, top round, bottom round, brisket, shank, and rib) in a Hanwoo population to obtain basic data for improving primal cut productivity. Methods: Data from 1,905 Hanwoo steers, including carcass traits and primal cut weights, were collected. Genetic parameters were estimated using REMLF90 in a multi-trait analysis. Results: High heritability was found for carcass weight (0.52) and strip loin yield (0.63). Genetic correlations between carcass weight and primal cut weights ranged from 0.52 to 0.93. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the significant potential for genetic improvement in Hanwoo cattle through selective breeding, particularly for traits with high heritability and genetic correlations. These findings provide crucial insights into optimizing breeding programs to improve Hanwoo cattle production efficiency.

Background: Recently, the single-step genomic best linear unbiased prediction (ssGBLUP) method, which incorporates not only genomic information but also phenotypic information of pedigree, is under study. In this study, we performed a ssGBLUP analysis on a commercial Hanwoo population using phenotypic, genotypic, and pedigree data. Methods: The test population comprised Hanwoo 1,740 heads raised in four regions of Korea, while the reference population used Hanwoo 18,499 heads raised across the country and two-generation pedigree data. Analysis was performed using genotype data generated by the Hanwoo 50 K SNP beadchip. Results: The mean Genome estimated breeding values (GEBVs) estimated using the ssGBLUP methods for carcass weight (CWT), eye muscle area (EMA), back fat thickness (BFT), and marbling score (MS) were 7.348, 1.515, -0.355, and 0.040, respectively, while the accuracy of each trait was 0.749, 0.733, 0.769, and 0.768, respectively. When the correlation analysis between the GEBVs as a result of this study and the actual slaughter performance was confirmed, CWT, EMA, BFT, and MS were reported to be 0.519, 0.435, 0.444, and 0.543, respectively. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the ssGBLUP method enables a more accurate evaluation because it conducts a genetic evaluation of an individual using not only genotype information but also phenotypic information of the pedigree. Individual evaluation using the ssGBLUP method is considered effective for enhancing the genetic ability of farms and enabling accurate and rapid improvements. It is considered that if more pedigree information of reference population is collected for analysis, genetic ability can be evaluated more accurately.

Background: Copy number variation (CNV) can be identified using next-generation sequencing and microarray technologies, the research on the analysis of its association with meat traits in livestock breeding has significantly increased in recent years. Hanwoo is an inherent species raised in the Republic of Korea. It is now considered one of the most economically important species and a major food source mainly used for meat (Hanwoo beef). Methods: In this study, CNVs and the relationship between the obtained CNV regions (CNVRs) can be identified in the Hanwoo steer samples (n = 473) using Illumina Hanwoo SNP 50K bead chip and bioinformatic tools, which were used to locate the required data and meat traits were investigated. The PennCNV software was used for the identification of CNVs, followed by the use of the CNV Ruler software for locating the different CNVRs. Furthermore, bioinformatics analysis was performed. Results: We found a total of 2,575 autosomal CNVs (933 losses, 1,642 gains) and 416 CNVRs (289 gains, 111 losses, and 16 mixed), which were established with ranged in size from 2,183 bp to 983,333 bp and 10,004 bp to 381,836 bp, respectively. Upon analyzing the restriction of minor alleles frequency > 0.05 for meat traits association, 6 CNVRs in the carcass weight, 2 CNVRs in the marbling score, 3 CNVRs in the backfat thickness, and 2 CNVRs in the longissimus muscle area were related to the meat traits. In addition, we identified an overlap of 347 CNVRs. Moreover, 3 CNVRs were determined to have a gene that affects meat quality. Conclusions: Our results confirmed the relationship between Hanwoo CNVR and meat traits, and the possibility of overlapping candidate genes, annotations, and quantitative trait loci that results depended on to contribute to the greater understanding of CNVs in Hanwoo and its role in genetic variation among cattle livestock.

This study has evaluated the genomic estimated breeding value (GEBV) of the commercial Hanwoo population using the genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) method and genomic information. Furthermore, it analyzed the accuracy and realized accuracy of the GEBV. 1,740 heads of the Hanwoo population which were analyzed using a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) Chip has selected as the test population. For carcass weight (CWT), eye muscle area (EMA), back fat thickness (BFT), and marbling score (MS), the mean GEBVs estimated using the GBLUP method were 3.819, 0.740, -0.248, and 0.041, respectively and the accuracy of each trait was 0.743, 0.728, 0.737, and 0.765, respectively. The accuracy of the breeding value was affected by heritability. The accuracy was estimated to be low in EMA with low heritability and high in MS with high heritability. Realized accuracy values of 0.522, 0.404, 0.444, and 0.539 for CWT, EMA, BFT, and MS, respectively, showing the same pattern as the accuracy value. The results of this study suggest that the breeding value of each individual can be estimated with higher accuracy by estimating the GEBV using the genomic information of 18,499 reference populations. If this method is used and applied to individual selection in a commercial Hanwoo population, more precise and economical individual selection is possible. In addition, continuous verification of the GBLUP model and establishment of a reference population suitable for commercial Hanwoo populations in Korea will enable a more accurate evaluation of individuals.

A number of Korean Chicken breeds were registered in Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS, http://dad.fao.org/) of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Evaluation of genetic diversity and relationship of local breeds is an important factor towards the identification of unique and valuable genetic resources. Therefore, this study aimed to analysis the genetic diversity and relationship of 22 Korean Chicken breeds using 12 microsatellite (MS) markers. The mean number of alleles for each variety was 5.52, ranging from a 3.75 (Leghorn F; NF) to a 7.0 (Ross). The most diverse breed was the Hanhyup3 (HCC), which had the highest expected heterozygosity (HExp) (0.754) and polymorphic information content (PIC) (0.711). The NF was the least diverse population, having the lowest HExp (0.467) and PIC (0.413). As a result of the principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) and factorial correspondence analysis (FCA) confirmed that Hy-line Brown (HL) and Lohmann Brown (LO) are very close to each other and that Leghorn and Rhode Island Red (RIR) are clearly distinguished from other groups. Thus, the reliability and power of identification using 12 types of MS markers were improved, and the genetic diversity and probability of individual discrimination were confirmed through statistical analysis. This study is expected to be used as basic data for the identification of Korean chicken breeds, and our results indicated that these multiplex PCR marker sets will have considerable applications in population genetic structure analysis.

Halla horse is crossbreed between Jeju and Thoroughbred horses and is used for riding, racing and meat production. Thus, molecular genetic studies are needed to establish and preserve the industrially valuable Halla horses. This study aimed to analyses the genetic diversity and population structure through 12 microsatellite (MS) markers for Halla and putatively related 3 breeds (Jeju, Mongolian and Thoroughbred horses). On average, the number of alleles, observed heterozygosity (Hobs), expected heterozygosity (Hexp), and polymorphic information content (PIC) among all horses were 10, 0.767, 0.799, and 0.771, respectively. Neighbor-joining tree and STRUCTURE analysis showed that Halla horses were between Thoroughbred and Jeju horses, tend to more influenced by Thoroughbred horses. Therefore, these results could be considered for use as the basic genetic breed relationships resource among the horse breeds (Jeju, Mongolian, and Thoroughbred horses) related to the origins of the Halla horse.

In this digital era, native advertising (Laursen, 2017) has begun to dominate advertising revenues due to its effectiveness in captivating attention of online users. Digital native advertising are advertisements in the form and function of editorial content such that its commercial intent is obscured to the reader (Wojdynski & Evans, 2015). Given its “non-intrusive” characteristics, platforms publishing advertisements of this nature can effectively circumvent ad-blockers that inhibits brands from reaching target audience (Vranica, 2015). Nevertheless, some have construed this as a deception towards digital users which could be detrimental to their attitude towards the brands conveyed via such advertising method (Wojdynski, Evans, & Hoy, 2017). Despite such existing controversy, there is still lack of evidence investigating whether digital native advertising would trigger positive or negative attitudes towards brands (Harms et al., 2017). On this premise, the goal of this study is to comprehend how native advertising would affect brand attitude. Correspondingly as well, this study will also investigate in what way the factors associated to native advertising that would influence brand attitude.

Meat and carcass quality attributes are important factors influencing consumer preference and profitability in the pork industry. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are essential for livestock breeding and improvement. In the present study, the pig Perilipin 2 (PLIN2 ) gene was characterized with the aim of detecting genetic variation at these loci in relation to economic traits in Berkshire pigs. Four SNPs (G6714C, G6813A, G10340A, and G10632A) were detected in this studied. Statistical analysis indicated that G6714C was significantly associated with the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) color score, G6813A, and G10340A significantly affected NPPC color score and NPPC marbling score, and G10632A significantly affected backfat thickness (BF) (p < 0.05). Therefore, the molecular markers used in the present study might provide a useful basis for identification and improvement of traits in the Berkshire pigs.

Food and agricultural production sector, especially livestock production is vital for Mongolia’s economic and social development. Domestic sheep play key roles for Mongolians, providing food (meat, milk) and raw materials (wool, sheepskin), but genetic diversity, origin of sheep populations in Mongolia have not been well studied. Studies of population genetic diversity is important research field in conservation and restoration of animal breeds and genetic resources. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate genetic characteristics and estimate origin through the analysis of mitochondrial DNA control region D-loop and Cytochrome b of Mongolian indigenous sheep (Mongolian native, Orkhon and Altanbulag) and one Europe sheep (Suffolk). As a result of there were found, 220 SNPs (Single nucleotide polymorphism) in the D-loop region, 28 SNPs in the Cytochrome B region, furthermore, 77 Haplotypes. The nucleotide diversity was only found in D-loop region (n = 0.0184). Phylogenetic analysis showed that 3 (A, B, and C) of 5 haplogroups of sheep have been identified in our research. Haplogroup C was only found in Mongolian indigenous sheep. Haplogroup D and E were not observed. As a result of haplogroups, haplogroup A was dominant (n = 46 of 94 sheeps), followed by haplogroup B (n = 36) and haplogroup C (n = 12). Sequence analysis showed that T deletion, insertion and heteroplasmy in D-loop region occurred at a high rate in Mongolian indigenous sheep population (T insertion = 47, T deletion = 83). The heteroplasmy, which has never been found in Mongolian sheep, has been newly discovered in this study. As a result, the Mongolian sheep varieties, which mainly derived from Asia, were in hybridization with European sheep varieties.

Embryos produced with serum show the alterations in their ultrastructure, impaired compaction, abnormal blastulation, aberrant mRNA expression profiles and large calf syndrome with greater incidences of stillbirths and deaths after birth. The aim of the present study was to describe in vitro embryo production by analyzing embryo production, fetal production and pregnancy rate in free-serum medium. The OPU-IVP data used in this study from 2016. Approximately, sixteen cows (Hanwoo), which belonged to the Institute of Gyeongsang National University, were used. Two experimental group is used in this study. Serum groups were conducted in March to July and free-serum group was conducted in September to December. The recovered cumulus-oocyte complexes were morphologically classified to four grades based on the compaction of cumulus cells layers and homogeneity of the cytoplasm. The number of oocyte was significantly greater in serum groups than that in free-serum groups (29.61 ± 0.63 vs. 15.6 ± 0.62; p < 0.05). Between serum and free-serum groups indicate that average of 1st and 2nd grade oocytes were no difference (2.38 ± 1.67 vs. 2.38 ± 1.48; p > 0.05), but number of 3rd and 4th grade oocytes were greater in serum groups than that in free-serum groups (7.31 ± 7.64 vs. 5.60 ± 6.29; p < 0.05). Embryo cleaved competence was higher in rate in free-serum groups than that in serum groups (62.1% vs. 58.3; p < 0.05). However, blastocyst developmental rate was no difference between serum and free-serum groups (33.1% vs. 43.5%; p < 0.05). 986 recipients were used for embryo transfer. Pregnancy rate was indicated that between serum and free-serum group was no difference (54.6% vs. 56.3%; p < 0.05). In conclusion, we developed the free-serum system for production of in vitro bovine embryos in order to meet the developmental and qualitative requirements for large scale commercial use.