We aimed to predict the Italian ryegrass (IRG) productivity change of introduced and domestic varieties based on climate factors and identify suitable areas for IRG cultivation using the RCP 8.5 scenario. The minimum mean air temperature in January showed the highest correlation with productivity. The ratio of possible and low productivity areas was high in Gangwondo, and the ratio of suitable and best suitable areas was relatively high in the central and southern regions in the past 30 years. The change in the IRG cultivation area was found to be 26.9% in the best suitable area between 1981–2010 but increased significantly to 88.9% between 2090s. In the IRG suitability comparison classes between domestic and introduced cultivars, the ratio of suitable and best suitable areas was relatively high in the domestic varieties during the past 30 years. However, there is almost no difference between the IRG domestic and introduced varieties in the IRG suitability classes after the 2050s. These results can predict changes in the IRG suitability classes between domestic and introduced cultivars according to the climate change scenario, but there are limitations in accurately predicting the productivity of IRG because the results may vary depending on other environmental factors.

This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between changes of rumen microflora and bloat in Jersey cow. Jersey cows (control age: 42 months, control weight: 558kg; treatment age: 29 months, treatment weight 507kg) were fed on the basis of dairy feeding management at dairy science division in National Institute of Animal Science. The change of microbial population in rumen was analyzed by using next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies due to metabolic disease. The diversity of Ruminococcus bromii, Bifidobacterium pseudolongum, Bifidobacterium merycicum and Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens known as major starch fermenting bacteria was increased more than 36-fold in bloated Jersey, while cellulolytic bacteria community such as Fibrobacter succinogenes, Ruminococcus albus and Ruminococcus flavefaciens was increased more than 12-fold in non-bloated Jersey. The proportion of bacteroidetes and firmicutes was 33.4% and 39.6% in non-bloated Jersey’s rumen, while bacteroidetes and firmicutes were 24.9% and 55.1% in bloated Jersey’s. In conclusion, the change of rumen microbial community, in particular the increase in starch fermenting bacteria, might have an effect to occur the bloat in Jersey cow.

This study determined diagnostic threshold of polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) for cytological endometritis (CEM) and its impacts on reproductive performance in dairy cows. Uterine cytology using 407 Holstein cows was performed at 4 weeks postpartum and proportion of endometrial cells and PMN was evaluated. A receiver operating characteristics curve was built to assess the cutoff level above which the PMN proportion affected the hazard of pregnancy by 200 days postpartum. The cutoff level for CEM was set at ≥14% PMN (sensitivity = 31.3%, specificity = 81.7%, P < 0.05). Cows with CEM had a lower probability of resumption of cyclicity (OR = 0.58 P < 0.05) and lower hazard of pregnancy by 200 days postpartum (hazard ratio = 0.58, P = 0.0001) than cows without CEM. Cows with CEM tended to have a lower probability of pregnancy to the first insemination (OR = 0.65, P < 0.1) and a greater number of insemination per conception (2.3 vs 2.2, P < 0.1) than cows without CEM. In conclusion, the threshold level of PMN was 14% to define CEM at 4 weeks postpartum and CEM decreased subsequent reproductive performance in dairy cow

Physical and electrochemical qualities were analyzed after KOH activation of a direct methanol fuel cell using needle coke as anode supporter. The results of research on support loaded with platinum-ruthenium suggest that an activated KOH needle coke container has the lowest onset potential and the highest degree of catalyst activity among all commercial catalysts. Through an analysis of the CO stripping voltammetry, we found that KOH activated catalysis showed a 21% higher electrochemical active surface area (ECSA), with a value of 31.37 m2/g, than the ECSA of deactivated catalyst (25.82 m2/g). The latter figure was 15% higher than the value of one specific commercial catalyst (TEC86E86).

본 연구는 고온 환경에서 Yorkshire 품종의 혈액 내 전해질과 혈액학적 성분의 변화를 조사하기 위하여 실시하였다. 73 일령(BW 40.6±1.4 kg)의 Yorkshire종 10두를 공시하여 개별 pen에 1두씩 배치하였다. 시험기간은 한국에서 폭염이 시작되는 2013년 7월 24일부터 동년 9월 4일까지 6주간 실시하였다. 시험기간 중 평균온도가 가장 높은 시기는 시험 3주차(28.6℃)였으며, 최고온도는 시험 4주(32.1℃)에 관찰되었다. 일당증체량은 온도가 가장 높았던 시험 3주차부터 감소하는 경향으로 나타났다. 혈청 내 pH와 삼투압은 시험기간 동안 유의적인 변화가 관찰되지 않았다. 나트륨이온 (P<0.01)과 염소이온(P<0.05)의 농도는 시험 6주에 유의적으로 증가하였다. 일반혈액검사 분석 결과에서 혈액 내 호중구(P<0.05)와 단핵구(P=0.057)의 수준은 시험 6주에 증가하고, 헤모글로빈과 평균 적혈구 혈색소 농도는 시험 4주와 6주에 감소하는 것으로 관찰되었다(P<0.05). 혈액생화학 분석에서는 총 콜레스테롤(P<0.01), 총 단백질(P<0.001)과 혈중 요소태 질소(P<0.01)의 농도가 4주와 6주에 높아지는 것으로 관찰되었으며, glucose 농도는 6주에 유의적으로 낮아졌다(P<0.05). 본 연구의 결과는 한국의 여름철 폭염기간 동안 돼지의 체내에서 생리생화학적, 혈액학적 변화가 어떻게 변하는지에 대한 기초정보를 제시하며, 이러한 정보는 혹서기 고온 스트레스로 인한 돼지 생산성저하 방지 기술을 개발하는 데에 기초자료로 활용될 수 있을 것으로 사료된다.

Insect pollinators of the endanger orchid Cypripedium japonicum were surveyed and identified during two years, as a part of a conservation project of the orchid at Jukyeup-san and Hwaak-san (Mt.), South Korea. In total 40 individuals of 16 species in 4 families were identified. The dominant family was Halictidae, and Lasioglossum exiliceps Vachal visited the most frequently C. japonicum during the surveys. The average visiting frequency was 2.5 individuals per hour and the highest 4.3, from 12:00 – 13:00 in a day. After 15:00 insects did not visit the flowers at all. However, all of the visiting insects were found to not carry a pollinium or pollens of the orchard on their bodies; pollen carryover by any of the visiting insects did not occur at all. The orchid seems to require certain pollinators in particular body thickness due to its unique pollination mechanism. The orchid has two exit route openings, around 1 cm in diametre, where the entrapped insects can exit and an anther is situated just in front of each opening. It was inferred that a pollen carrier should be around 1 cm in body thickness. Therefore, the candidate species as the proper pollen carriers can be Tetralonia nipponensis Perez, Xylocopa appendiculata circumvolans Smith and Bombus consobrinus Dahlbom among the surveyed visitors.

Apolipophorin III (apoLp-III) is a well-known hemolymph protein having a functional role in lipid transport and immune response of insects. We cloned full-length cDNA encoding putative apoLp-III from larvae of the coleopteran beetle, Tenebrio molitor (TmapoLp-III), by identification of clones corresponding to the partial sequence of TmapoLp-III, subsequently followed with full length sequencing by a clone-by-clone primer walking method. The complete cDNA consists of 890 nucleotides, including an ORF encoding 196 amino acid residues. Excluding a putative signal peptide of the first 20 amino acid residues, the 176-residue mature apoLp-III has a calculated molecular mass of 19,146 Da. Genomic sequence analysis with respect to its cDNA showed that TmapoLp-III was organized into four exons interrupted by three introns. Several immune-related transcription factor binding sites were discovered in the putative 5’-flanking region. BLAST and phylogenetic analysis reveals that TmapoLp-III has high sequence identity (88%) with Tribolium castaneum apoLp-III but shares little sequence homologies (<26%) with other apoLp-IIIs. Homology modeling of Tm apoLp-III shows a bundle of five amphipathic helices, including a short helix 3’. The ‘helix-short helix-helix’ motif was predicted to be implicated in lipid binding interactions, through reversible conformational changes and accommodating the hydrophobic residues to the exterior for stability. Highest level of TmapoLp-III mRNA was detected at late pupal stages, albeit it is expressed in the larval and adult stages at lower levels. The tissue specific expression of the transcripts showed significantly higher numbers in larval fat body and adult integument. In addition, TmapoLp-III mRNA was found to be highly up-regulated in late stages of L. monocytogenes or E. coli challenge. These results indicate that TmapoLp-III may play an important role in innate immune responses against bacterial pathogens in T. molitor.

Totally, 26 collections, 17 from Korea and 9 from China, were investigated for their sequences of 5S rDNA, especially the non-transcribed spacers (NTSs). Sequences of 5S rDNA were isolated by PCR using the primers, 5s-rRNA1 and 5s-rRNA2. Genomic DNA PCR produced single amplification of 300, 330, or 350 base pair fragments. Sequence analysis revealed that all inserts contained the part of 5S rDNA gene sequence and the full length of the NTS region. Three different sizes of the fragments were confirmed due to different size of NTS and their length were 300bp, 330bp and 350bp, respectively. Among 17 Korean foxtail millets tested, 14 collections showed single 300bp amplification. Longest fragment amplification, 350bp, was obtained only from the foxtail millet from China origin, even though 2 of them include 300bp fragment. CLUSTALW multiple alignments of 26 foxtail millets clearly revealed 4 areas with certain degree of sequence heterogeneity (region I, II, III, IV). Among 4 boxed areas, foxtail millet genotypes from China have distinct insertion especially in region III. Five of them have extra insertion of sequence and their additional sequences were either 45 or 48 base pair. Three Korean foxtail millets have 32 bp insertion. Other 8 Korean collections have short insert sequences (6 to 8 bp), 3 with 8 bp and 5 with 6 bp. In addition to insert, deletion sequences were also confirmed as major deletion was observed in region II of Chinese collection. The size of deletion was 7 bp long. According to phylogenic tree constructed using MEGA4 program, clear grouping was not revealed. To obtain more convincing results various collections from many countries should be obtained and analyzed to distinguish different germplasm from different origin.

Twenty two common millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) varieties collected from Korea, China and Russia were investigated for their phylogenetic relationship using 5S ribosomal DNA sequences with a hope to provide the basic information on their exact origin. Sequences of 5S rDNA were isolated by PCR. The primers, 5s-rRNA1 and 5s-rRNA2, were designed to isolate the complete NTS. Genomic DNA amplification produced two fragments with different length, 900 bp and 400 bp fragments, confirming the presence of two types of 5S rDNA repeats that differed from each other in the length of the NTS region. Amplified DNAs of 400 bp fragment were subcloned and used for further investigation. The obtained NTS sequences ranged from 200 to 300 bp and homology of sequences among plant materials was much higher than long repeat. CLUSTALW multiple aligment of 5S rDNA sequences from 22 different common millets revealed the clear difference by their origin. And critically different areas with insert or deletion were also confirmed. Those sequence difference seems to be used for discrimination of cultivars from different origin and use as molecular markers for origin identification. In phylogenic tree construction, the clear classification was shown where the genotypes from China and Russia is positioned together and stay away from domestic genotypes.