Understanding geographic origins and history of admixture among chimpanzees in European zoos, with implications for future breeding programmes.

PubMed

Hvilsom, C; Frandsen, P; Børsting, C; Carlsen, F; Sallé, B; Simonsen, B T; Siegismund, H R

2013-06-01

Despite ample focus on this endangered species, conservation planning for chimpanzees residing outside Africa has proven a challenge because of the lack of ancestry information. Here, we analysed the largest number of chimpanzee samples to date, examining microsatellites in >100 chimpanzees from the range of the species in Africa, and 20% of the European zoo population. We applied the knowledge about subspecies differentiation throughout equatorial Africa to assign origin to chimpanzees in the largest conservation management programme globally. A total of 63% of the genotyped chimpanzees from the European zoos could be assigned to one of the recognized subspecies. The majority being of West African origin (40%) will help consolidate the current breeding programme for this subspecies and the identification of individuals belonging to the two other subspecies so far found in European zoos can form the basis for breeding programmes for these. Individuals of various degree of mixed ancestry made up 37% of the genotyped European zoo population and thus highlight the need for appropriate management programmes guided by genetic analysis to preserve maximum genetic diversity and reduce hybridization among subspecies.

Understanding geographic origins and history of admixture among chimpanzees in European zoos, with implications for future breeding programmes

PubMed Central

Hvilsom, C; Frandsen, P; Børsting, C; Carlsen, F; Sallé, B; Simonsen, B T; Siegismund, H R

2013-01-01

Despite ample focus on this endangered species, conservation planning for chimpanzees residing outside Africa has proven a challenge because of the lack of ancestry information. Here, we analysed the largest number of chimpanzee samples to date, examining microsatellites in >100 chimpanzees from the range of the species in Africa, and 20% of the European zoo population. We applied the knowledge about subspecies differentiation throughout equatorial Africa to assign origin to chimpanzees in the largest conservation management programme globally. A total of 63% of the genotyped chimpanzees from the European zoos could be assigned to one of the recognized subspecies. The majority being of West African origin (40%) will help consolidate the current breeding programme for this subspecies and the identification of individuals belonging to the two other subspecies so far found in European zoos can form the basis for breeding programmes for these. Individuals of various degree of mixed ancestry made up 37% of the genotyped European zoo population and thus highlight the need for appropriate management programmes guided by genetic analysis to preserve maximum genetic diversity and reduce hybridization among subspecies. PMID:23531981

Review: Towards the agroecological management of ruminants, pigs and poultry through the development of sustainable breeding programmes: I-selection goals and criteria.

PubMed

Phocas, F; Belloc, C; Bidanel, J; Delaby, L; Dourmad, J Y; Dumont, B; Ezanno, P; Fortun-Lamothe, L; Foucras, G; Frappat, B; González-García, E; Hazard, D; Larzul, C; Lubac, S; Mignon-Grasteau, S; Moreno, C R; Tixier-Boichard, M; Brochard, M

2016-11-01

Agroecology uses natural processes and local resources rather than chemical inputs to ensure production while limiting the environmental footprint of livestock and crop production systems. Selecting to achieve a maximization of target production criteria has long proved detrimental to fitness traits. However, since the 1990s, developments in animal breeding have also focussed on animal robustness by balancing production and functional traits within overall breeding goals. We discuss here how an agroecological perspective should further shift breeding goals towards functional traits rather than production traits. Breeding for robustness aims to promote individual adaptive capacities by considering diverse selection criteria which include reproduction, animal health and welfare, and adaptation to rough feed resources, a warm climate or fluctuating environmental conditions. It requires the consideration of genotype×environment interactions in the prediction of breeding values. Animal performance must be evaluated in low-input systems in order to select those animals that are adapted to limiting conditions, including feed and water availability, climate variations and diseases. Finally, we argue that there is no single agroecological animal type, but animals with a variety of profiles that can meet the expectations of agroecology. The standardization of both animals and breeding conditions indeed appears contradictory to the agroecological paradigm that calls for an adaptation of animals to local opportunities and constraints in weakly artificialized systems tied to their physical environment.

FELASA recommendations for the health monitoring of mouse, rat, hamster, guinea pig and rabbit colonies in breeding and experimental units.

PubMed

Mähler Convenor, M; Berard, M; Feinstein, R; Gallagher, A; Illgen-Wilcke, B; Pritchett-Corning, K; Raspa, M

2014-07-01

The microbiological quality of experimental animals can critically influence animal welfare and the validity and reproducibility of research data. It is therefore important for breeding and experimental facilities to establish a laboratory animal health monitoring (HM) programme as an integrated part of any quality assurance system. FELASA has published recommendations for the HM of rodent and rabbit colonies in breeding and experimental units (Nicklas et al. Laboratory Animals, 2002), with the intention of harmonizing HM programmes. As stated in the preamble, these recommendations need to be adapted periodically to meet current developments in laboratory animal medicine. Accordingly, previous recommendations have been revised and shall be replaced by the present recommendations. These recommendations are aimed at all breeders and users of laboratory mice, rats, Syrian hamsters, guinea pigs and rabbits as well as diagnostic laboratories. They describe essential aspects of HM, such as the choice of agents, selection of animals and tissues for testing, frequency of sampling, commonly used test methods, interpretation of results and HM reporting. Compared with previous recommendations, more emphasis is put on the role of a person with sufficient understanding of the principles of HM, opportunistic agents, the use of sentinel animals (particularly under conditions of cage-level containment) and the interpretation and reporting of HM results. Relevant agents, testing frequencies and literature references are updated. Supplementary information on specific agents and the number of animals to be monitored and an example of a HM programme description is provided in the appendices. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

A founder project: marketing the domestication baseline for forest trees

Treesearch

C. G. Williams; Floyd E. Bridgwater; C. Dana Nelson

2004-01-01

One of the most apparent benefits of forest genomics programmes is to provide genotypic information on the original selections of tree improvement programmes worldwide. In many breeding programmes, brances from these selections were grafted onto seedlings and the grafted seedlings composed the first seed orchards for planting programmes. with advanced generation...

Associations between lamb survival and prion protein genotype: analysis of data for ten sheep breeds in Great Britain

PubMed Central

Gubbins, Simon; Cook, Charlotte J; Hyder, Kieran; Boulton, Kay; Davis, Carol; Thomas, Eurion; Haresign, Will; Bishop, Stephen C; Villanueva, Beatriz; Eglin, Rachel D

2009-01-01

Background Selective breeding programmes, based on prion protein (PrP) genotype, have been introduced throughout the European Union to reduce the risk of sheep transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). These programmes could have negative consequences on other important traits, such as fitness and production traits, if the PrP gene has pleiotropic effects or is in linkage disequilibrium with genes affecting these traits. This paper presents the results of an investigation into associations between lamb survival and PrP genotype in ten mainstream sheep breeds in Great Britain (GB). In addition, the reasons for lamb deaths were examined in order to identify any associations between these and PrP genotype. Results Survival times from birth to weaning were analysed for over 38000 lambs (2427 dead and 36096 live lambs) from 128 flocks using Cox proportional hazard models for each breed, including additive animal genetic effects. No significant associations between PrP genotype and lamb survival were identified, except in the Charollais breed for which there was a higher risk of mortality in lambs of the ARR/VRQ genotype compared with those of the ARR/ARR genotype. Significant effects of birth weight, litter size, sex, age of dam and year of birth on survival were also identified. For all breeds the reasons for death changed significantly with age; however, no significant associations between reason for death and PrP genotype were found for any of the breeds. Conclusion This study found no evidence to suggest that a selective breeding programme based on PrP genotype will have a detrimental effect on lamb survival. The only significant effect of PrP genotype identified was likely to be of little consequence because an increased risk of mortality was associated with a genotype that is selected against in current breeding strategies. PMID:19159456

Immunogenomics of gastrointestinal nematode infection in ruminants - breeding for resistance to produce food sustainably and safely.

PubMed

Sweeney, T; Hanrahan, J P; Ryan, M T; Good, B

2016-09-01

Gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) infection of ruminants represents a major health and welfare challenge for livestock producers worldwide. The emergence of anthelmintic resistance in important GIN species and the associated animal welfare concerns have stimulated interest in the development of alternative and more sustainable strategies aimed at the effective management of the impact of GINs. These integrative strategies include selective breeding using genetic/genomic tools, grazing management, biological control, nutritional supplementation, vaccination and targeted selective treatment. In this review, the logic of selecting for "resistance" to GIN infection as opposed to "resilience" or "tolerance" is discussed. This is followed by a review of the potential application of immunogenomics to genetic selection for animals that have the capacity to withstand the impact of GIN infection. Advances in relevant genomic technologies are highlighted together with how these tools can be advanced to support the integration of immunogenomic information into ruminant breeding programmes. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Managing the rate of increase in average co-ancestry in a rolling front tree breeding strategy.

PubMed

Kerr, R J; McRae, T A; Dutkowski, G W; Tier, B

2015-04-01

In breeding forest trees, as for livestock, the goal is to capture as much genetic gain as possible for the breeding objective, while limiting long- and short-term inbreeding. The Southern Tree Breeding Association (STBA) is responsible for breeding Australia's two main commercial forest tree species and has adopted algorithms and methods commonly used in animal breeding to achieve this balance. Discrete generation breeding is the norm for most tree breeding programmes. However, the STBA uses an overlapping generation strategy, with a new stream of breeding initiated each year. A feature of the species bred by the STBA (Pinus radiata and Eucalyptus globulus) is the long interval (up to 7 years) between when an individual is mated and when its progeny is first assessed in field trials and performance data included in the national performance database. Mate selection methods must therefore recognize the large pool of unmeasured progeny generated over recent years of crossing. In addition, the substantial delay between when an individual is selected in a field trial and when it is clonally copied into a mating facility (breeding arboretum) means that selection and mating must occur as a two-step process. In this article, we describe modifications to preselection and mate selection algorithms that allow unmeasured progeny (juveniles) to be recognized. We also demonstrate that the addition of hypothetical new progeny to the juvenile pool is important for computing the increase in average co-ancestry in the population. Methods outlined in this article may have relevance to animal breeding programmes where between mating and progeny measurement, new rounds of mating are initiated. © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Breeding for seedless grapes using Chinese wild Vitis spp. II. In vitro embryo rescue and plant development.

PubMed

Ji, Wei; Wang, Yuejin

2013-12-01

Since 1982, the embryo rescue technique has been widely applied to embryo germination of stenospermic grapes in cross-breeding programmes. This project aimed to: (1) use embryos to breed new seedless cultivars of Vitis vinifera as the female parents utilising wild Chinese Vitis spp. as the male parents; and (2) develop an efficient method for in vitro embryo rescue and plant development. Among the different genotypes, the productions of hybrid plants were significantly different, ranged from 21.1% ('Ruby Seedless' × 'Beichun') to only 1.1% ('Pink Seedless' × 'Beichun'), except for the combinations from which no surviving seedlings were obtained. We collected hybridisation fruits from 28 June to 3 August, and obtained their best sampling times described within days after flowering. The highest rates of embryo formation (24.3%) and plant development (91.4%) were found when ovules of 'Ruby Seedless' were cultured in MM4 + 500 mg L(-1) mashed banana. Seven new hybrids of V. vinifera with wild Chinese Vitis spp. were obtained. As a result of early nuclear-free character identification, 17 seedless grape lines were obtained. An efficient system of seedless grape breeding through embryo rescue was also established. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry.

Genomics Assisted Ancestry Deconvolution in Grape

PubMed Central

Sawler, Jason; Reisch, Bruce; Aradhya, Mallikarjuna K.; Prins, Bernard; Zhong, Gan-Yuan; Schwaninger, Heidi; Simon, Charles; Buckler, Edward; Myles, Sean

2013-01-01

The genus Vitis (the grapevine) is a group of highly diverse, diploid woody perennial vines consisting of approximately 60 species from across the northern hemisphere. It is the world’s most valuable horticultural crop with ~8 million hectares planted, most of which is processed into wine. To gain insights into the use of wild Vitis species during the past century of interspecific grape breeding and to provide a foundation for marker-assisted breeding programmes, we present a principal components analysis (PCA) based ancestry estimation method to calculate admixture proportions of hybrid grapes in the United States Department of Agriculture grape germplasm collection using genome-wide polymorphism data. We find that grape breeders have backcrossed to both the domesticated V. vinifera and wild Vitis species and that reasonably accurate genome-wide ancestry estimation can be performed on interspecific Vitis hybrids using a panel of fewer than 50 ancestry informative markers (AIMs). We compare measures of ancestry informativeness used in selecting SNP panels for two-way admixture estimation, and verify the accuracy of our method on simulated populations of admixed offspring. Our method of ancestry deconvolution provides a first step towards selection at the seed or seedling stage for desirable admixture profiles, which will facilitate marker-assisted breeding that aims to introgress traits from wild Vitis species while retaining the desirable characteristics of elite V. vinifera cultivars. PMID:24244717

Objectives, criteria and methods for using molecular genetic data in priority setting for conservation of animal genetic resources.

PubMed

Boettcher, P J; Tixier-Boichard, M; Toro, M A; Simianer, H; Eding, H; Gandini, G; Joost, S; Garcia, D; Colli, L; Ajmone-Marsan, P

2010-05-01

The genetic diversity of the world's livestock populations is decreasing, both within and across breeds. A wide variety of factors has contributed to the loss, replacement or genetic dilution of many local breeds. Genetic variability within the more common commercial breeds has been greatly decreased by selectively intense breeding programmes. Conservation of livestock genetic variability is thus important, especially when considering possible future changes in production environments. The world has more than 7500 livestock breeds and conservation of all of them is not feasible. Therefore, prioritization is needed. The objective of this article is to review the state of the art in approaches for prioritization of breeds for conservation, particularly those approaches that consider molecular genetic information, and to identify any shortcomings that may restrict their application. The Weitzman method was among the first and most well-known approaches for utilization of molecular genetic information in conservation prioritization. This approach balances diversity and extinction probability to yield an objective measure of conservation potential. However, this approach was designed for decision making across species and measures diversity as distinctiveness. For livestock, prioritization will most commonly be performed among breeds within species, so alternatives that measure diversity as co-ancestry (i.e. also within-breed variability) have been proposed. Although these methods are technically sound, their application has generally been limited to research studies; most existing conservation programmes have effectively primarily based decisions on extinction risk. The development of user-friendly software incorporating these approaches may increase their rate of utilization.

Oilseed rape (Brassica napus) as a resource for farmland insect pollinators: quantifying floral traits in conventional varieties and breeding systems.

PubMed

Carruthers, Jonathan M; Cook, Samantha M; Wright, Geraldine A; Osborne, Juliet L; Clark, Suzanne J; Swain, Jennifer L; Haughton, Alison J

2017-08-01

Oilseed rape (OSR; Brassica napus L.) is a major crop in temperate regions and provides an important source of nutrition to many of the yield-enhancing insect flower visitors that consume floral nectar. The manipulation of mechanisms that control various crop plant traits for the benefit of pollinators has been suggested in the bid to increase food security, but little is known about inherent floral trait expression in contemporary OSR varieties or the breeding systems used in OSR breeding programmes. We studied a range of floral traits in glasshouse-grown, certified conventional varieties of winter OSR to test for variation among and within breeding systems. We measured 24-h nectar secretion rate, amount, concentration and ratio of nectar sugars per flower, and sizes and number of flowers produced per plant from 24 varieties of OSR representing open-pollinated (OP), genic male sterility (GMS) hybrid and cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) hybrid breeding systems. Sugar concentration was consistent among and within the breeding systems; however, GMS hybrids produced more nectar and more sugar per flower than CMS hybrid or OP varieties. With the exception of ratio of fructose/glucose in OP varieties, we found that nectar traits were consistent within all the breeding systems. When scaled, GMS hybrids produced 1.73 times more nectar resource per plant than OP varieties. Nectar production and amount of nectar sugar in OSR plants were independent of number and size of flowers. Our data show that floral traits of glasshouse-grown OSR differed among breeding systems, suggesting that manipulation and enhancement of nectar rewards for insect flower visitors, including pollinators, could be included in future OSR breeding programmes.

Partition of genetic trends by origin in Landrace and Large-White pigs.

PubMed

Škorput, D; Gorjanc, G; Kasap, A; Luković, Z

2015-10-01

The objective of this study was to analyse the effectiveness of genetic improvement via domestic selection and import for backfat thickness and time on test in a conventional pig breeding programme for Landrace (L) and Large-White (LW) breeds. Phenotype data was available for 25 553 L and 10 432 LW pigs born between 2002 and 2012 from four large-scale farms and 72 family farms. Pedigree information indicated whether each animal was born and registered within the domestic breeding programme or has been imported. This information was used for defining the genetic groups of unknown parents in a pedigree and the partitioning analysis. Breeding values were estimated using a Bayesian analysis of an animal model with and without genetic groups. Such analysis enabled full Bayesian inference of the genetic trends and their partitioning by the origin of germplasm. Estimates of genetic group indicated that imported germplasm was overall better than domestic and substantial changes in estimates of breeding values was observed when genetic group were fitted. The estimated genetic trends in L were favourable and significantly different from zero by the end of the analysed period. Overall, the genetic trends in LW were not different from zero. The relative contribution of imported germplasm to genetic trends was large, especially towards the end of analysed period with 78% and 67% in L and from 50% to 67% in LW. The analyses suggest that domestic breeding activities and sources of imported animals need to be re-evaluated, in particular in LW breed.

Biometeorology and animal protein production: the case of arid lands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yousef, M. K.

1991-09-01

To meet the food demands of the ever-increasing world population, man's only major future land bank is the arid lands. However, their exploitation has been limited and constitutes a major challenge to many scientific disciplines. Under the present conditions of hunger and/or malnutrition, a large-scale expansion in food production is not to be expected. Hence, it is imperative that in any development programme for arid lands, malnutrition, in general, and a deficiency of animal proteins, in particular, should be considered. Major advancements have been made, but much remains to be learned and implemented. Improvement of native farm animals should be the first step in increasing the availability of animal proteins. This may be achieved by an educational programme to enhance management, housing, food intake, etc. Then a breeding programme selecting for high productivity can be pursued. After eliciting the maximum return from the present livestock, attention should be directed to domesticating wild ungulates and/or introducing highly productive temperature-zone breeds for upgrading the local animals. Additionally, new potential and unconventional sources of animal proteins must be explored. Aquaculture, in particular, has the potential of producing large quantities of lowercost protein-rich food. Available evidence in arid regions of the developed countries, i.e. USA and Australia, promises favourable results in our efforts toward increasing the production of animal protein. By innovative methods and long-term planning, such successes can be adapted and transferred to other regions of the world, with the aim of gradually lessening the present state of malnutrition and hunger.

Quality assessment of tomato landraces and virus-resistant breeding lines: quick estimation by near infrared reflectance spectroscopy.

PubMed

García-Martínez, Santiago; Gálvez-Sola, Luis N; Alonso, Arantxa; Agulló, Enrique; Rubio, Fernando; Ruiz, Juan J; Moral, Raúl

2012-04-01

Several tomato landraces are very popular in south-eastern Spain for their organoleptic fruit quality, but these cultivars are highly susceptible to several viruses. A breeding programme is being carried out for the introduction of virus resistances into these landraces. In the last steps of our breeding programme a high number of breeding lines must be evaluated for agronomic and organoleptic quality parameters. Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) technology shows considerable promise and is ideally suited to the requirements of breeders. Significant differences between a set of 35 tomato breeding lines, seven landraces and one commercial hybrid were observed for quality and mineral content parameters, suggesting that there are considerable levels of genetic diversity between the cultivar groups studied. Using NIRS on dry samples of tomato constitutes a feasible technique to estimate the content of several minerals (C, N, P, K, Ca, Na, Mn, Mg and Cu) according to the coefficient of determination for calibration (R(2) > 0.90). NIRS estimations of soluble solids content and titratable acidity obtained were considered useful only for general screening purposes. NIRS technology may be a useful tool in the selection of lines coming out of tomato breeding programs, allowing a quick estimation of mineral content. However, the estimation of soluble solids content and titratable acidity by NIRS must be improved. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry.

Application of a new IBD-based QTL mapping method to common wheat breeding population: analysis of kernel hardness and dough strength.

PubMed

Crepieux, Sebastien; Lebreton, Claude; Flament, Pascal; Charmet, Gilles

2005-11-01

Mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) in plants is usually conducted using a population derived from a cross between two inbred lines. The power of such QTL detection and the estimation of the effects highly depend on the choice of the two parental lines. Thus, the QTL found represent only a small part of the genetic architecture and can be of limited economical interest in marker-assisted selection. On the other hand, applied breeding programmes evaluate large numbers of progeny derived from multiple-related crosses for a wide range of agronomic traits. It is assumed that the development of statistical techniques to deal with pedigrees in existing plant populations would increase the relevance and cost effectiveness of QTL mapping in a breeding context. In this study, we applied a two-step IBD-based-variance component method to a real wheat breeding population, composed of 374 F6 lines derived from 80 different parents. Two bread wheat quality related traits were analysed by the method. Results obtained show very close agreement with major genes and QTL already known for those two traits. With this new QTL mapping strategy, inferences about QTL can be drawn across the breeding programme rather than being limited to the sample of progeny from a single cross and thus the use of the detected QTL in assisting breeding would be facilitated.

Breeding crops for improved mineral nutrition under climate change conditions.

PubMed

Pilbeam, David J

2015-06-01

Improvements in understanding how climate change may influence chemical and physical processes in soils, how this may affect nutrient availability, and how plants may respond to changed availability of nutrients will influence crop breeding programmes. The effects of increased atmospheric CO2 and warmer temperatures, both individually and combined, on soil microbial activity, including mycorrhizas and N-fixing organisms, are evaluated, together with their implications for nutrient availability. Potential changes to plant growth, and the combined effects of soil and plant changes on nutrient uptake, are discussed. The organization of research on the efficient use of macro- and micronutrients by crops under climate change conditions is outlined, including analysis of QTLs for nutrient efficiency. Suggestions for how the information gained can be used in plant breeding programmes are given. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Gametic embryogenesis and haploid technology as valuable support to plant breeding.

PubMed

Germanà, Maria Antonietta

2011-05-01

Plant breeding is focused on continuously increasing crop production to meet the needs of an ever-growing world population, improving food quality to ensure a long and healthy life and address the problems of global warming and environment pollution, together with the challenges of developing novel sources of biofuels. The breeders' search for novel genetic combinations, with which to select plants with improved traits to satisfy both farmers and consumers, is endless. About half of the dramatic increase in crop yield obtained in the second half of the last century has been achieved thanks to the results of genetic improvement, while the residual advance has been due to the enhanced management techniques (pest and disease control, fertilization, and irrigation). Biotechnologies provide powerful tools for plant breeding, and among these ones, tissue culture, particularly haploid and doubled haploid technology, can effectively help to select superior plants. In fact, haploids (Hs), which are plants with gametophytic chromosome number, and doubled haploids (DHs), which are haploids that have undergone chromosome duplication, represent a particularly attractive biotechnological method to accelerate plant breeding. Currently, haploid technology, making possible through gametic embryogenesis the single-step development of complete homozygous lines from heterozygous parents, has already had a huge impact on agricultural systems of many agronomically important crops, representing an integral part in their improvement programmes. The aim of this review was to provide some background, recent advances, and future prospective on the employment of haploid technology through gametic embryogenesis as a powerful tool to support plant breeding.

Measuring and modeling for the assessment of the genetic background behind cognitive processes in donkeys.

PubMed

Navas, Francisco Javier; Jordana, Jordi; León, José Manuel; Arando, Ander; Pizarro, Gabriela; McLean, Amy Katherine; Delgado, Juan Vicente

2017-08-01

New productive niches can offer new commercial perspectives linked to donkeys' products and human therapeutic or leisure applications. However, no assessment for selection criteria has been carried out yet. First, we assessed the animal inherent features and environmental factors that may potentially influence several cognitive processes in donkeys. Then, we aimed at describing a practical methodology to quantify such cognitive processes, seeking their inclusion in breeding and conservation programmes, through a multifactorial linear model. Sixteen cognitive process-related traits were scored on a problem-solving test in a sample of 300 Andalusian donkeys for three consecutive years from 2013 to 2015. The linear model assessed the influence and interactions of four environmental factors, sex as an animal-inherent factor, age as a covariable, and the interactions between these factors. Analyses of variance were performed with GLM procedure of SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 24.0 software to assess the relative importance of each factor. All traits were significantly (P<0.05) affected by all factors in the model except for sex that was not significant for some of the cognitive processes, and stimulus which was not significant (P<0.05) for all of them except for the coping style related ones. The interaction between all factors within the model was non-significant (P<0.05) for almost all cognitive processes. The development of complex multifactorial models to study cognitive processes may counteract the inherent variability in behavior genetics and the estimation and prediction of related breeding parameters, key for the implementation of successful conservation programmes in apparently functionally misplaced endangered breeds. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Molecular genetic analysis of a cattle population to reconstitute the extinct Algarvia breed

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Decisions to initiate conservation programmes need to account for extant variability, diversity loss and cultural and economic aspects. Molecular markers were used to investigate if putative Algarvia animals could be identified for use as progenitors in a breeding programme to recover this nearly extinct breed. Methods 46 individuals phenotypically representative of Algarvia cattle were genotyped for 27 microsatellite loci and compared with 11 Portuguese autochthonous and three imported breeds. Genetic distances and factorial correspondence analyses (FCA) were performed to investigate the relationship among Algarvia and related breeds. Assignment tests were done to identify representative individuals of the breed. Y chromosome and mtDNA analyses were used to further characterize Algarvia animals. Gene- and allelic-based conservation analyses were used to determine breed contributions to overall genetic diversity. Results Genetic distance and FCA results confirmed the close relationship between Algarvia and southern Portuguese breeds. Assignment tests without breed information classified 17 Algarvia animals in this cluster with a high probability (q > 0.95). With breed information, 30 cows and three bulls were identified (q > 0.95) that could be used to reconstitute the Algarvia breed. Molecular and morphological results were concordant. These animals showed intermediate levels of genetic diversity (MNA = 6.0 ± 1.6, Rt = 5.7 ± 1.4, Ho = 0.63 ± 0.19 and He = 0.69 ± 0.10) relative to other Portuguese breeds. Evidence of inbreeding was also detected (Fis = 0.083, P < 0.001). The four Algarvia bulls had Y-haplotypes H6Y2 and H11Y2, common in Portuguese cattle. The mtDNA composition showed prevalence of T3 matrilines and presence of the African-derived T1a haplogroup. This analysis confirmed the genetic proximity of Algarvia and Garvonesa breeds (Fst = 0.028, P > 0.05). Algarvia cattle provide an intermediate contribution (CB = 6.18, CW = -0.06 and D1 = 0.50) to the overall gene diversity of Portuguese cattle. Algarvia and seven other autochthonous breeds made no contribution to the overall allelic diversity. Conclusions Molecular analyses complemented previous morphological findings to identify 33 animals that can be considered remnants of the Algarvia breed. Results of genetic diversity and conservation analyses provide objective information to establish a management program to reconstitute the Algarvia breed. PMID:20540741

Transcontinental migratory connectivity predicts parasite prevalence in breeding populations of the European barn swallow.

PubMed

von Rönn, J A C; Harrod, C; Bensch, S; Wolf, J B W

2015-03-01

Parasites exert a major impact on the eco-evolutionary dynamics of their hosts and the associated biotic environment. Migration constitutes an effective means for long-distance invasions of vector-borne parasites and promotes their rapid spread. Yet, ecological and spatial information on population-specific host-parasite connectivity is essentially lacking. Here, we address this question in a system consisting of a transcontinental migrant species, the European barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) which serves as a vector for avian endoparasites in the genera Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon. Using feather stable isotope ratios as geographically informative markers, we first assessed migratory connectivity in the host: Northern European breeding populations predominantly overwintered in dry, savannah-like habitats in Southern Africa, whereas Southern European populations were associated with wetland habitats in Western Central Africa. Wintering areas of swallows breeding in Central Europe indicated a migratory divide with both migratory programmes occurring within the same breeding population. Subsequent genetic screens of parasites in the breeding populations revealed a link between the host's migratory programme and its parasitic repertoire: controlling for effects of local breeding location, prevalence of Africa-transmitted Plasmodium lineages was significantly higher in individuals overwintering in the moist habitats of Western Central Africa, even among sympatrically breeding individuals with different overwintering locations. For the rarer Haemoproteus parasites, prevalence was best explained by breeding location alone, whereas no clear pattern emerged for the least abundant parasite Leucocytozoon. These results have implications for our understanding of spatio-temporal host-parasite dynamics in migratory species and the spread of avian borne diseases. © 2015 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2015 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Breeding approaches and genomics technologies to increase crop yield under low-temperature stress.

PubMed

Jha, Uday Chand; Bohra, Abhishek; Jha, Rintu

2017-01-01

Improved knowledge about plant cold stress tolerance offered by modern omics technologies will greatly inform future crop improvement strategies that aim to breed cultivars yielding substantially high under low-temperature conditions. Alarmingly rising temperature extremities present a substantial impediment to the projected target of 70% more food production by 2050. Low-temperature (LT) stress severely constrains crop production worldwide, thereby demanding an urgent yet sustainable solution. Considerable research progress has been achieved on this front. Here, we review the crucial cellular and metabolic alterations in plants that follow LT stress along with the signal transduction and the regulatory network describing the plant cold tolerance. The significance of plant genetic resources to expand the genetic base of breeding programmes with regard to cold tolerance is highlighted. Also, the genetic architecture of cold tolerance trait as elucidated by conventional QTL mapping and genome-wide association mapping is described. Further, global expression profiling techniques including RNA-Seq along with diverse omics platforms are briefly discussed to better understand the underlying mechanism and prioritize the candidate gene (s) for downstream applications. These latest additions to breeders' toolbox hold immense potential to support plant breeding schemes that seek development of LT-tolerant cultivars. High-yielding cultivars endowed with greater cold tolerance are urgently required to sustain the crop yield under conditions severely challenged by low-temperature.

Dystocia in the cat evaluated using an insurance database.

PubMed

Holst, Bodil Ström; Axnér, Eva; Öhlund, Malin; Möller, Lotta; Egenvall, Agneta

2017-01-01

Objectives The aim of this study was to describe the incidence of feline dystocia with respect to breed. Methods The data used were reimbursed claims for veterinary care insurance and/or life insurance claims in cats registered in a Swedish insurance database from 1999-2006. Results The incidence rates for dystocia were about 22 cats per 10,000 cat-years at risk, 67 per 10,000 for purebred cats and seven per 10,000 for domestic shorthair cats. The median age was 2.5 years. A significant effect of breed was seen. An incidence rate ratio (IRR) that was significantly higher compared with other purebred cats was seen in the British Shorthair (IRR 2.5), the Oriental group (IRR 2.2), Birman (IRR 1.7), Ragdoll (IRR 1.5) and the Abyssinian group (IRR 1.5). A significantly lower IRR was seen in the Norwegian Forest Cat (IRR 0.38), the Maine Coon (IRR 0.48), the Persian/Exotic group (IRR 0.49) and the Cornish Rex (IRR 0.50). No common factor among the high-risk breeds explained their high risk for dystocia. There was no effect of location; that is, the incidence rate did not differ depending on whether the cat lived in an urban or rural area. Caesarean section was performed in 56% of the cats with dystocia, and the case fatality was 2%. Conclusions and relevance The incidence rate for dystocia was of a similar magnitude in purebred cats as in dogs. The IRR varied significantly among breeds, and the main cause for dystocia should be identified separately for each breed. A selection for easy parturitions in breeding programmes is suggested.

How Long and Low Can You Go? Effect of Conformation on the Risk of Thoracolumbar Intervertebral Disc Extrusion in Domestic Dogs

PubMed Central

Packer, Rowena M. A.; Hendricks, Anke; Volk, Holger A.; Shihab, Nadia K.; Burn, Charlotte C.

2013-01-01

Intervertebral disc extrusion (IVDE) is a common neurological disorder in certain dog breeds, resulting in spinal cord compression and injury that can cause pain and neurological deficits. Most disc extrusions are reported in chondrodystrophic breeds (e.g. Dachshunds, Basset Hounds, Pekingese), where selection for ‘long and low’ morphologies is linked with intervertebral discs abnormalities that predispose dogs to IVDE. The aim of this study was to quantify the relationship between relative thoracolumbar vertebral column length and IVDE risk in diverse breeds. A 14 month cross-sectional study of dogs entering a UK small animal referral hospital for diverse disorders including IVDE was carried out. Dogs were measured on breed-defining morphometrics, including back length (BL) and height at the withers (HW). Of 700 dogs recruited from this referral population, measured and clinically examined, 79 were diagnosed with thoracolumbar IVDE following diagnostic imaging ± surgery. The BL:HW ratio was positively associated with IVDE risk, indicating that relatively longer dogs were at increased risk, e.g. the probability of IVDE was 0.30 for Miniature Dachshunds when BL:HW ratio equalled 1.1, compared to 0.68 when BL:HW ratio equalled 1.5. Additionally, both being overweight and skeletally smaller significantly increased IVDE risk. Therefore, selection for longer backs and miniaturisation should be discouraged in high-risk breeds to reduce IVDE risk. In higher risk individuals, maintaining a lean body shape is particularly important to reduce the risk of IVDE. Results are reported as probabilities to aid decision-making regarding breed standards and screening programmes reflecting the degree of risk acceptable to stakeholders. PMID:23894518

How long and low can you go? Effect of conformation on the risk of thoracolumbar intervertebral disc extrusion in domestic dogs.

PubMed

Packer, Rowena M A; Hendricks, Anke; Volk, Holger A; Shihab, Nadia K; Burn, Charlotte C

2013-01-01

Intervertebral disc extrusion (IVDE) is a common neurological disorder in certain dog breeds, resulting in spinal cord compression and injury that can cause pain and neurological deficits. Most disc extrusions are reported in chondrodystrophic breeds (e.g. Dachshunds, Basset Hounds, Pekingese), where selection for 'long and low' morphologies is linked with intervertebral discs abnormalities that predispose dogs to IVDE. The aim of this study was to quantify the relationship between relative thoracolumbar vertebral column length and IVDE risk in diverse breeds. A 14 month cross-sectional study of dogs entering a UK small animal referral hospital for diverse disorders including IVDE was carried out. Dogs were measured on breed-defining morphometrics, including back length (BL) and height at the withers (HW). Of 700 dogs recruited from this referral population, measured and clinically examined, 79 were diagnosed with thoracolumbar IVDE following diagnostic imaging ± surgery. The BL:HW ratio was positively associated with IVDE risk, indicating that relatively longer dogs were at increased risk, e.g. the probability of IVDE was 0.30 for Miniature Dachshunds when BL:HW ratio equalled 1.1, compared to 0.68 when BL:HW ratio equalled 1.5. Additionally, both being overweight and skeletally smaller significantly increased IVDE risk. Therefore, selection for longer backs and miniaturisation should be discouraged in high-risk breeds to reduce IVDE risk. In higher risk individuals, maintaining a lean body shape is particularly important to reduce the risk of IVDE. Results are reported as probabilities to aid decision-making regarding breed standards and screening programmes reflecting the degree of risk acceptable to stakeholders.

Long-term changes in food availability mediate the effects of temperature on growth, development and survival in striped marsh frog larvae: implications for captive breeding programmes

PubMed Central

Courtney Jones, Stephanie K.; Munn, Adam J.; Penman, Trent D.; Byrne, Phillip G.

2015-01-01

Food availability and temperature are known to trigger phenotypic change, but the interactive effects between these factors are only beginning to be considered. The aim of this study was to examine the independent and interactive effects of long-term stochastic food availability and water temperature on larval survivorship, growth and development of the striped marsh frog, Limnodynastes peronii. Larval L. peronii were reared in conditions of either constant or stochastic food availability and in water at three different temperatures (18, 22 and 26°C), and effects on survival, growth and development were quantified. Over the experimental period, larval growth rate was highest and survivorship lowest at the warmest temperature. However, changes in food availability mediated the effects of temperature, with slower larval growth and higher survivorship in stochastic food availability treatments. Tadpoles in the stochastic food availability treatments did not reach metamorphosis during the experimental period, suggesting that developmental stasis may have been induced by food restriction. Overall, these results demonstrate that changes in food availability alter the effects of water temperature on survival, growth and development. From an applied perspective, understanding how environmental factors interact to cause phenotypic change may assist with amphibian conservation by improving the number of tadpoles generated in captive breeding programmes. PMID:27293714

A novel 3D imaging system for strawberry phenotyping.

PubMed

He, Joe Q; Harrison, Richard J; Li, Bo

2017-01-01

Accurate and quantitative phenotypic data in plant breeding programmes is vital in breeding to assess the performance of genotypes and to make selections. Traditional strawberry phenotyping relies on the human eye to assess most external fruit quality attributes, which is time-consuming and subjective. 3D imaging is a promising high-throughput technique that allows multiple external fruit quality attributes to be measured simultaneously. A low cost multi-view stereo (MVS) imaging system was developed, which captured data from 360° around a target strawberry fruit. A 3D point cloud of the sample was derived and analysed with custom-developed software to estimate berry height, length, width, volume, calyx size, colour and achene number. Analysis of these traits in 100 fruits showed good concordance with manual assessment methods. This study demonstrates the feasibility of an MVS based 3D imaging system for the rapid and quantitative phenotyping of seven agronomically important external strawberry traits. With further improvement, this method could be applied in strawberry breeding programmes as a cost effective phenotyping technique.

Can we use genetic and genomic approaches to identify candidate animals for targeted selective treatment.

PubMed

Laurenson, Yan C S M; Kyriazakis, Ilias; Bishop, Stephen C

2013-10-18

Estimated breeding values (EBV) for faecal egg count (FEC) and genetic markers for host resistance to nematodes may be used to identify resistant animals for selective breeding programmes. Similarly, targeted selective treatment (TST) requires the ability to identify the animals that will benefit most from anthelmintic treatment. A mathematical model was used to combine the concepts and evaluate the potential of using genetic-based methods to identify animals for a TST regime. EBVs obtained by genomic prediction were predicted to be the best determinant criterion for TST in terms of the impact on average empty body weight and average FEC, whereas pedigree-based EBVs for FEC were predicted to be marginally worse than using phenotypic FEC as a determinant criterion. Whilst each method has financial implications, if the identification of host resistance is incorporated into a wider genomic selection indices or selective breeding programmes, then genetic or genomic information may be plausibly included in TST regimes. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pollen-mediated gene flow and fine-scale spatial genetic structure in Olea europaea subsp. europaea var. sylvestris

PubMed Central

Piotti, A.; Satovic, Z.; de la Rosa, R.; Belaj, A.

2017-01-01

Abstract Background and Aims Wild olive (Olea europaea subsp. europaea var. sylvestris) is important from an economic and ecological point of view. The effects of anthropogenic activities may lead to the genetic erosion of its genetic patrimony, which has high value for breeding programmes. In particular, the consequences of the introgression from cultivated stands are strongly dependent on the extent of gene flow and therefore this work aims at quantitatively describing contemporary gene flow patterns in wild olive natural populations. Methods The studied wild population is located in an undisturbed forest, in southern Spain, considered one of the few extant hotspots of true oleaster diversity. A total of 225 potential father trees and seeds issued from five mother trees were genotyped by eight microsatellite markers. Levels of contemporary pollen flow, in terms of both pollen immigration rates and within-population dynamics, were measured through paternity analyses. Moreover, the extent of fine-scale spatial genetic structure (SGS) was studied to assess the relative importance of seed and pollen dispersal in shaping the spatial distribution of genetic variation. Key Results The results showed that the population under study is characterized by a high genetic diversity, a relatively high pollen immigration rate (0·57), an average within-population pollen dispersal of about 107 m and weak but significant SGS up to 40 m. The population is a mosaic of several intermingled genetic clusters that is likely to be generated by spatially restricted seed dispersal. Moreover, wild oleasters were found to be self-incompatible and preferential mating between some genotypes was revealed. Conclusions Knowledge of the within-population genetic structure and gene flow dynamics will lead to identifying possible strategies aimed at limiting the effect of anthropogenic activities and improving breeding programmes for the conservation of olive tree forest genetic resources. PMID:28028015

Improvement of non-key traits in radiata pine breeding programme when long-term economic importance is uncertain.

PubMed

Li, Yongjun; Dungey, Heidi; Yanchuk, Alvin; Apiolaza, Luis A

2017-01-01

Diameter at breast height (DBH), wood density (DEN) and predicted modulus of elasticity (PME) are considered as 'key traits' (KT) in the improvement in radiata pine breeding programmes in New Zealand. Any other traits which are also of interest to radiata pine breeders and forest growers are called 'non-key traits' (NKTs). External resin bleeding (ERB), internal checking (IC), number of heartwood rings (NHR) are three such non-key traits which affect wood quality of radiata pine timber. Economic importance of the KTs and NKTs is hard to define in radiata pine breeding programmes due to long rotation period. Desired-gain index (DGIs) and robust selection were proposed to incorporate NKTs into radiata pine breeding programme in order to deal with the uncertainty of economic importance. Four desired-gain indices A-D were proposed in this study. The desired-gain index A (DGI-A) emphasized growth and led to small decrease in ERB and small increase in IC and NHR. The expected genetic gains of all traits in the desired-gain index B (DGI-B) were in the favourable directions (positive genetic gains in the key traits and negative genetic gains in the non-key traits). The desired-gain index C (DGI-C) placed emphasis on wood density, leading to favourable genetic gain in the NKTs but reduced genetic gains for DBH and PME. The desired-gain index D (DGI-D) exerted a bit more emphasis on the non-key traits, leading large favourable reduction in the non-key traits and lower increase in the key traits compared with the other DGIs. When selecting both the key traits and the non-key traits, the average EBVs of six traits were all in the same directions as the expected genetic gains except for DBH in the DGI-D. When the key traits were measured and selected, internal checking always had a negative (favourable) genetic gain but ERB and NHR had unfavourable genetic gain in the most of time. After removing some individuals with high sensitivity to the change of economic weights, robust desired-gain selection made genetic gains of all the key and non-key traits to move a little bit toward unfavourable directions in the four indices. It is concluded that desired-gain index combined with robust selection concept is an efficient way for selecting the key and non-key traits in radiata pine breeding programmes.

Effectiveness of a detached‐leaf assay as a proxy for stem inoculations in backcrossed chestnut (Castanea) blight resistance breeding populations

Treesearch

N. R. LaBonte; J.R. McKenna; K. Woeste

2016-01-01

A recently developed detached-leaf blight resistance assay has generated interest because it could reduce the amount of time needed to evaluate backcrossed hybrid trees in the American chestnut blight resistance breeding programme. We evaluated the leaf inoculation technique on a sample of advanced progeny from the Indiana state chapter American Chestnut Foundation...

Translating knowledge about abiotic stress tolerance to breeding programmes.

PubMed

Gilliham, Matthew; Able, Jason A; Roy, Stuart J

2017-06-01

Plant breeding and improvements in agronomic practice are making a consistent contribution to increasing global crop production year upon year. However, the rate of yield improvement currently lags behind the targets set to produce enough food to meet the demands of the predicted global population in 2050. Furthermore, crops that are exposed to harmful abiotic environmental factors (abiotic stresses, e.g. water limitation, salinity, extreme temperature) are prone to reduced yields. Here, we briefly describe the processes undertaken in conventional breeding programmes, which are usually designed to improve yields in near-optimal conditions rather than specifically breeding for improved crop yield stability under stressed conditions. While there is extensive fundamental research activity that examines mechanisms of plant stress tolerance, there are few examples that apply this research to improving commercial crop yields. There are notable exceptions, and we highlight some of these to demonstrate the magnitude of yield gains that could be made by translating agronomic, phenological and genetic solutions focused on improving or mitigating the effect of abiotic stress in the field; in particular, we focus on improvements in crop water-use efficiency and salinity tolerance. We speculate upon the reasons for the disconnect between research and research translation. We conclude that to realise untapped rapid gains towards food security targets new funding structures need to be embraced. Such funding needs to serve both the core and collaborative activities of the fundamental, pre-breeding and breeding research communities in order to expedite the translation of innovative research into the fields of primary producers. © 2016 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Diversity in phenotypic and nutritional traits in vegetable amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor), a nutritionally underutilised crop.

PubMed

Shukla, Sudhir; Bhargava, Atul; Chatterjee, Avijeet; Pandey, Avinash Chandra; Mishra, Brij K

2010-01-15

Assessment of genetic diversity in a crop-breeding programme helps in the identification of diverse parental combinations to create segregating progenies with maximum genetic variability and facilitates introgression of desirable genes from diverse germplasm into the available genetic base. In the present study, 39 strains of vegetable amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor) were evaluated for eight morphological and seven quality traits for two test seasons to study the extent of genetic divergence among the strains. Multivariate analysis showed that the first four principal components contributed 67.55% of the variability. Cluster analysis grouped the strains into six clusters that displayed a wide range of diversity for most of the traits. Cluster analysis has proved to be an effective method in grouping strains that may facilitate effective management and utilisation in crop-breeding programmes. The diverse strains falling in different clusters were identified, which can be utilised in different hybridisation programmes to develop high-foliage-yielding varieties rich in nutritional components. Copyright (c) 2009 Society of Chemical Industry.

Darbishire expands his vision of heredity from Mendelian genetics to inherited memory.

PubMed

Wood, Roger J

2015-10-01

The British biologist A.D. Darbishire (1879-1915) responded to the rediscovery in 1900 of Mendel's theory of heredity by testing it experimentally, first in Oxford, then in Manchester and London. He summarised his conclusions in a textbook 'Breeding and the Mendelian Discovery' (1911), in which he questioned whether Mendelism alone could explain all aspects of practical breeding experience. Already he had begun to think about an alternative theory to give greater emphasis to the widely held conviction among breeders regarding the inheritance of characteristics acquired during an individual's life. Redefining heredity in terms of a germ-plasm based biological memory, he used vocabulary drawn partly from sources outside conventional science, including the metaphysical/vitalistic writings of Samuel Butler and Henri Bergson. An evolving hereditary memory fitted well with the conception of breeding as a creative art aimed at greater economic efficiency. For evolution beyond human control he proposed a self-modifying process, claiming it to surpass in efficiency the chancy mechanism of natural selection proposed by Darwin. From his writings, including early chapters of an unfinished book entitled 'An Introduction to a Biology', we consider how he reached these concepts and how they relate to later advances in understanding the genome and the genetic programme. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Genetic conditions of joint Nordic genetic evaluations of lifetime competition performance in warmblood sport horses.

PubMed

Viklund, Å; Furre, S; Eriksson, S; Vangen, O; Philipsson, J

2015-08-01

Breeding programmes for warmblood sport horses are similar in the Nordic countries Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway, and stallions of same origin are used. The aim was to investigate whether a joint Nordic genetic evaluation based on lifetime competition performance is feasible and beneficial for breeding competitive sport horses in the Nordic countries. Results for almost 45,000 horses in show jumping and 30,000 horses in dressage were available. The larger populations in Sweden and Denmark contributed with 85% of the results. Heritabilities and genetic correlations between performances in the different countries were estimated, and comparisons of accuracies of estimated breeding values (EBVs) and number of stallions with EBVs based on national or joint data were studied. The heritabilities ranged between 0.25 and 0.42 for show jumping and between 0.14 and 0.55 for dressage. The genetic correlations between competition performances in the Nordic countries were estimated to 0.63-1.00. EBVs based on joint data increased accuracies for EBVs for stallions by 38-81% and increased the number of available stallions with EBVs by 40-288%, compared to EBVs based on national data only. A joint Nordic genetic evaluation for sport horses is recommended. © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Oestrus synchronisation and superovulation alter the production and biochemical constituents of ovine cervicovaginal mucus.

PubMed

Maddison, Jessie W; Rickard, Jessica P; Mooney, Ethan; Bernecic, Naomi C; Soleilhavoup, Clement; Tsikis, Guillaume; Druart, Xavier; Leahy, Tamara; de Graaf, Simon P

2016-09-01

Controlled breeding programmes utilising exogenous hormones are common in the Australian sheep industry, however the effects of such programmes on cervicovaginal mucus properties are lacking. As such, the aim of this study was to investigate cervicovaginal (CV) mucus from naturally cycling (NAT), progesterone synchronised (P4), prostaglandin synchronised (PGF2α), and superovulated (SOV) Merino ewes. Experiment 1; volume, colour, spinnbarkeit, chemical profile and protein concentration of mucus (NAT, P4, PGF2α and SOV; n=5 ewes/treatment) during the follicular (5 d) and luteal phases (8 d) was investigated. Experiment 2; in vivo mucus pH and in vitro mucus penetration by frozen-thawed spermatozoa (NAT, P4 and SOV; n=11 ewes/treatment) was investigated over oestrus (2 d) and the mid-luteal phase (pH only, 2 d). Oestrus mucus was more abundant, clearer in colour and less proteinaceous than luteal phase mucus (p<0.05). SOV increased mucus production and protein concentration (p<0.05) while PGF2α reduced mucus volume (p<0.05). Mucus pH (oestrus 6.2-6.5), chemical profile and mucus penetration by sperm were unchanged (p>0.05). Results indicate that exogenous hormones used for controlled breeding affect cervicovaginal mucus production, but few other tested characteristics. Further research is required to explain fertility differences between synchronised and naturally cycling animals following cervical AI. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Study on Analysis of Variance on the indigenous wild and cultivated rice species of Manipur Valley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Medhabati, K.; Rohinikumar, M.; Rajiv Das, K.; Henary, Ch.; Dikash, Th.

2012-10-01

The analysis of variance revealed considerable variation among the cultivars and the wild species for yield and other quantitative characters in both the years of investigation. The highly significant differences among the cultivars in year wise and pooled analysis of variance for all the 12 characters reveal that there are enough genetic variabilities for all the characters studied. The existence of genetic variability is of paramount importance for starting a judicious plant breeding programme. Since introduced high yielding rice cultivars usually do not perform well. Improvement of indigenous cultivars is a clear choice for increase of rice production. The genetic variability of 37 rice germplasms in 12 agronomic characters estimated in the present study can be used in breeding programme

Investigating the population structure and genetic differentiation of livestock guard dog breeds.

PubMed

Bigi, D; Marelli, S P; Liotta, L; Frattini, S; Talenti, A; Pagnacco, G; Polli, M; Crepaldi, P

2018-01-14

Livestock guarding dogs are a valuable adjunct to the pastoral community. Having been traditionally selected for their working ability, they fulfil their function with minimal interaction or command from their human owners. In this study, the population structure and the genetic differentiation of three Italian livestock guardian breeds (Sila's Dog, Maremma and Abruzzese Sheepdog and Mannara's Dog) and three functionally and physically similar breeds (Cane Corso, Central Asian Shepherd Dog and Caucasian Shepherd Dog), totalling 179 dogs unrelated at the second generation, were investigated with 18 autosomal microsatellite markers. Values for the number of alleles per locus, observed and expected heterozygosity, Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium, F stats, Nei's and Reynold's genetic distances, clustering and sub-population formation abilities and individual genetic structures were calculated. Our results show clear breed differentiation, whereby all the considered breeds show reasonable genetic variability despite small population sizes and variable selection schemes. These results provide meaningful data to stakeholders in specific breed and environmental conservation programmes.

Improving production efficiency in the presence of genotype by environment interactions in pig genomic selection breeding programmes.

PubMed

Nirea, K G; Meuwissen, T H E

2017-04-01

We simulated a genomic selection pig breeding schemes containing nucleus and production herds to improve feed efficiency of production pigs that were cross-breed. Elite nucleus herds had access to high-quality feed, and production herds were fed low-quality feed. Feed efficiency in the nucleus herds had a heritability of 0.3 and 0.25 in the production herds. It was assumed the genetic relationships between feed efficiency in the nucleus and production were low (r g  = 0.2), medium (r g  = 0.5) and high (r g  = 0.8). In our alternative breeding schemes, different proportion of production animals were recorded for feed efficiency and genotyped with high-density panel of genetic markers. Genomic breeding value of the selection candidates for feed efficiency was estimated based on three different approaches. In one approach, genomic breeding value was estimated including nucleus animals in the reference population. In the second approach, the reference population was containing a mixture of nucleus and production animals. In the third approach, the reference population was only consisting of production herds. Using a mixture reference population, we generated 40-115% more genetic gain in the production environment as compared to only using nucleus reference population that were fed high-quality feed sources when the production animals were offspring of the nucleus animals. When the production animals were grand offspring of the nucleus animals, 43-104% more genetic gain was generated. Similarly, a higher genetic gain generated in the production environment when mixed reference population was used as compared to only using production animals. This was up to 19 and 14% when the production animals were offspring and grand offspring of nucleus animals, respectively. Therefore, in genomic selection pig breeding programmes, feed efficiency traits could be improved by properly designing the reference population. © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Will genomic selection be a practical method for plant breeding?

PubMed

Nakaya, Akihiro; Isobe, Sachiko N

2012-11-01

Genomic selection or genome-wide selection (GS) has been highlighted as a new approach for marker-assisted selection (MAS) in recent years. GS is a form of MAS that selects favourable individuals based on genomic estimated breeding values. Previous studies have suggested the utility of GS, especially for capturing small-effect quantitative trait loci, but GS has not become a popular methodology in the field of plant breeding, possibly because there is insufficient information available on GS for practical use. In this review, GS is discussed from a practical breeding viewpoint. Statistical approaches employed in GS are briefly described, before the recent progress in GS studies is surveyed. GS practices in plant breeding are then reviewed before future prospects are discussed. Statistical concepts used in GS are discussed with genetic models and variance decomposition, heritability, breeding value and linear model. Recent progress in GS studies is reviewed with a focus on empirical studies. For the practice of GS in plant breeding, several specific points are discussed including linkage disequilibrium, feature of populations and genotyped markers and breeding scheme. Currently, GS is not perfect, but it is a potent, attractive and valuable approach for plant breeding. This method will be integrated into many practical breeding programmes in the near future with further advances and the maturing of its theory.

Molecular progress on the mapping and cloning of functional genes for blast disease in rice (Oryza sativa L.): current status and future considerations.

PubMed

Ashkani, S; Rafii, M Y; Shabanimofrad, M; Ghasemzadeh, A; Ravanfar, S A; Latif, M A

2016-01-01

Rice blast disease, which is caused by the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae, is a recurring problem in all rice-growing regions of the world. The use of resistance (R) genes in rice improvement breeding programmes has been considered to be one of the best options for crop protection and blast management. Alternatively, quantitative resistance conferred by quantitative trait loci (QTLs) is also a valuable resource for the improvement of rice disease resistance. In the past, intensive efforts have been made to identify major R-genes as well as QTLs for blast disease using molecular techniques. A review of bibliographic references shows over 100 blast resistance genes and a larger number of QTLs (∼500) that were mapped to the rice genome. Of the blast resistance genes, identified in different genotypes of rice, ∼22 have been cloned and characterized at the molecular level. In this review, we have summarized the reported rice blast resistance genes and QTLs for utilization in future molecular breeding programmes to introgress high-degree resistance or to pyramid R-genes in commercial cultivars that are susceptible to M. oryzae. The goal of this review is to provide an overview of the significant studies in order to update our understanding of the molecular progress on rice and M. oryzae. This information will assist rice breeders to improve the resistance to rice blast using marker-assisted selection which continues to be a priority for rice-breeding programmes.

Application of a high-speed breeding technology to apple (Malus × domestica) based on transgenic early flowering plants and marker-assisted selection.

PubMed

Flachowsky, Henryk; Le Roux, Pierre-Marie; Peil, Andreas; Patocchi, Andrea; Richter, Klaus; Hanke, Magda-Viola

2011-10-01

Breeding of apple (Malus × domestica) remains a slow process because of protracted generation cycles. Shortening the juvenile phase to achieve the introgression of traits from wild species into prebreeding material within a reasonable time frame is a great challenge. In this study, we evaluated early flowering transgenic apple lines overexpressing the BpMADS4 gene of silver birch with regard to tree morphology in glasshouse conditions. Based on the results obtained, line T1190 was selected for further analysis and application to fast breeding. The DNA sequences flanking the T-DNA were isolated and the T-DNA integration site was mapped on linkage group 4. The inheritance and correctness of the T-DNA integration were confirmed after meiosis. A crossbred breeding programme was initiated by crossing T1190 with the fire blight-resistant wild species Malus fusca. Transgenic early flowering F(1) seedlings were selected and backcrossed with 'Regia' and 98/6-10 in order to introgress the apple scab Rvi2, Rvi4 and powdery mildew Pl-1, Pl-2 resistance genes and the fire blight resistance quantitative trait locus FB-F7 present in 'Regia'. Three transgenic BC'1 seedlings pyramiding Rvi2, Rvi4 and FB-F7, as well as three other BC'1 seedlings combining Pl-1 and Pl-2, were identified. Thus, the first transgenic early flowering-based apple breeding programme combined with marker-assisted selection was established. © 2011 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2011 New Phytologist Trust.

Pollen-mediated gene flow and fine-scale spatial genetic structure in Olea europaea subsp. europaea var. sylvestris.

PubMed

Beghè, D; Piotti, A; Satovic, Z; de la Rosa, R; Belaj, A

2017-03-01

Wild olive ( Olea europaea subsp. europaea var. sylvestris ) is important from an economic and ecological point of view. The effects of anthropogenic activities may lead to the genetic erosion of its genetic patrimony, which has high value for breeding programmes. In particular, the consequences of the introgression from cultivated stands are strongly dependent on the extent of gene flow and therefore this work aims at quantitatively describing contemporary gene flow patterns in wild olive natural populations. The studied wild population is located in an undisturbed forest, in southern Spain, considered one of the few extant hotspots of true oleaster diversity. A total of 225 potential father trees and seeds issued from five mother trees were genotyped by eight microsatellite markers. Levels of contemporary pollen flow, in terms of both pollen immigration rates and within-population dynamics, were measured through paternity analyses. Moreover, the extent of fine-scale spatial genetic structure (SGS) was studied to assess the relative importance of seed and pollen dispersal in shaping the spatial distribution of genetic variation. The results showed that the population under study is characterized by a high genetic diversity, a relatively high pollen immigration rate (0·57), an average within-population pollen dispersal of about 107 m and weak but significant SGS up to 40 m. The population is a mosaic of several intermingled genetic clusters that is likely to be generated by spatially restricted seed dispersal. Moreover, wild oleasters were found to be self-incompatible and preferential mating between some genotypes was revealed. Knowledge of the within-population genetic structure and gene flow dynamics will lead to identifying possible strategies aimed at limiting the effect of anthropogenic activities and improving breeding programmes for the conservation of olive tree forest genetic resources. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

Will genomic selection be a practical method for plant breeding?

PubMed Central

Nakaya, Akihiro; Isobe, Sachiko N.

2012-01-01

Background Genomic selection or genome-wide selection (GS) has been highlighted as a new approach for marker-assisted selection (MAS) in recent years. GS is a form of MAS that selects favourable individuals based on genomic estimated breeding values. Previous studies have suggested the utility of GS, especially for capturing small-effect quantitative trait loci, but GS has not become a popular methodology in the field of plant breeding, possibly because there is insufficient information available on GS for practical use. Scope In this review, GS is discussed from a practical breeding viewpoint. Statistical approaches employed in GS are briefly described, before the recent progress in GS studies is surveyed. GS practices in plant breeding are then reviewed before future prospects are discussed. Conclusions Statistical concepts used in GS are discussed with genetic models and variance decomposition, heritability, breeding value and linear model. Recent progress in GS studies is reviewed with a focus on empirical studies. For the practice of GS in plant breeding, several specific points are discussed including linkage disequilibrium, feature of populations and genotyped markers and breeding scheme. Currently, GS is not perfect, but it is a potent, attractive and valuable approach for plant breeding. This method will be integrated into many practical breeding programmes in the near future with further advances and the maturing of its theory. PMID:22645117

The Generation Challenge Programme Platform: Semantic Standards and Workbench for Crop Science

PubMed Central

Bruskiewich, Richard; Senger, Martin; Davenport, Guy; Ruiz, Manuel; Rouard, Mathieu; Hazekamp, Tom; Takeya, Masaru; Doi, Koji; Satoh, Kouji; Costa, Marcos; Simon, Reinhard; Balaji, Jayashree; Akintunde, Akinnola; Mauleon, Ramil; Wanchana, Samart; Shah, Trushar; Anacleto, Mylah; Portugal, Arllet; Ulat, Victor Jun; Thongjuea, Supat; Braak, Kyle; Ritter, Sebastian; Dereeper, Alexis; Skofic, Milko; Rojas, Edwin; Martins, Natalia; Pappas, Georgios; Alamban, Ryan; Almodiel, Roque; Barboza, Lord Hendrix; Detras, Jeffrey; Manansala, Kevin; Mendoza, Michael Jonathan; Morales, Jeffrey; Peralta, Barry; Valerio, Rowena; Zhang, Yi; Gregorio, Sergio; Hermocilla, Joseph; Echavez, Michael; Yap, Jan Michael; Farmer, Andrew; Schiltz, Gary; Lee, Jennifer; Casstevens, Terry; Jaiswal, Pankaj; Meintjes, Ayton; Wilkinson, Mark; Good, Benjamin; Wagner, James; Morris, Jane; Marshall, David; Collins, Anthony; Kikuchi, Shoshi; Metz, Thomas; McLaren, Graham; van Hintum, Theo

2008-01-01

The Generation Challenge programme (GCP) is a global crop research consortium directed toward crop improvement through the application of comparative biology and genetic resources characterization to plant breeding. A key consortium research activity is the development of a GCP crop bioinformatics platform to support GCP research. This platform includes the following: (i) shared, public platform-independent domain models, ontology, and data formats to enable interoperability of data and analysis flows within the platform; (ii) web service and registry technologies to identify, share, and integrate information across diverse, globally dispersed data sources, as well as to access high-performance computational (HPC) facilities for computationally intensive, high-throughput analyses of project data; (iii) platform-specific middleware reference implementations of the domain model integrating a suite of public (largely open-access/-source) databases and software tools into a workbench to facilitate biodiversity analysis, comparative analysis of crop genomic data, and plant breeding decision making. PMID:18483570

Developing a typology for local cattle breed farmers in Europe.

PubMed

Soini, K; Diaz, C; Gandini, G; de Haas, Y; Lilja, T; Martin-Collado, D; Pizzi, F; Hiemstra, S J

2012-12-01

Recognizing cultural diversity among local breed farmers is crucial for the successful development and implementation of farm animal genetic resources FAnGr conservation policies and programmes. In this study based on survey data collected in the EUropean REgional CAttle breeds project from six European countries, a typology of local breed farmers was designed and profiles for each of the farmer types were developed to assist these policy needs. Three main farmer types were constructed: production-oriented, product and service-oriented and hobby-oriented farmers. In addition, seven subtypes were characterized under the main types: sustainable producers, opportunists, multi-users, brand makers, traditionalists, pragmatists and newcomers. These types have many similarities to the 'productivist', 'multifunctional' and 'post-productivist' farmer types. The typology not only reveals the high level of diversity among local cattle breed farmers in Europe, which presents an opportunity for the in situ conservation of animal genetic resources, but also a challenge for policy to meet the differing requirements of the farmer types. © 2012 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Evaluation of the genotype, environment and their interaction on carotenoid and ascorbic acid accumulation in tomato germplasm.

PubMed

Roselló, Salvador; Adalid, Ana Maria; Cebolla-Cornejo, Jaime; Nuez, Fernando

2011-04-01

Tomatoes are an important source of antioxidants (carotenoids, vitamin C, etc.) owing to their high level of consumption. There is great interest in developing cultivars with increased levels of lycopene, β-carotene or L-ascorbic acid. There is necessary to survey new sources of variation. In this study, the potential of improvement for each character in tomato breeding programmes, in a single or joint approach, and the nature of genotype (G), environment (E) and G × E interaction effects in the expression of these characters were investigated. The content of lycopene, β-carotene and ascorbic acid determined was very high in some phenotypes (up to 281, 35 and 346 mg kg(-1) respectively). The important differences in the three environments studied (with some stressing conditions in several situations) had a remarkable influence in the phenotypic expression of the functional characters evaluated. Nevertheless, the major contribution came from the genotypic effect along with a considerable G × E interaction. The joint accumulation of lycopene and β-carotene has a high genetic component. It is possible to select elite genotypes with high content of both carotenoids in tomato breeding programmes but multi-environment trials are recommended. The improvement of ascorbic acid content is more difficult because the interference of uncontrolled factors mask the real genetic potential. Among the accessions evaluated, there are four accessions with an amazing genetic potential for functional properties that can be used as donor parents in tomato breeding programmes or for direct consumption in quality markets. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry.

Speed breeding is a powerful tool to accelerate crop research and breeding.

PubMed

Watson, Amy; Ghosh, Sreya; Williams, Matthew J; Cuddy, William S; Simmonds, James; Rey, María-Dolores; Asyraf Md Hatta, M; Hinchliffe, Alison; Steed, Andrew; Reynolds, Daniel; Adamski, Nikolai M; Breakspear, Andy; Korolev, Andrey; Rayner, Tracey; Dixon, Laura E; Riaz, Adnan; Martin, William; Ryan, Merrill; Edwards, David; Batley, Jacqueline; Raman, Harsh; Carter, Jeremy; Rogers, Christian; Domoney, Claire; Moore, Graham; Harwood, Wendy; Nicholson, Paul; Dieters, Mark J; DeLacy, Ian H; Zhou, Ji; Uauy, Cristobal; Boden, Scott A; Park, Robert F; Wulff, Brande B H; Hickey, Lee T

2018-01-01

The growing human population and a changing environment have raised significant concern for global food security, with the current improvement rate of several important crops inadequate to meet future demand 1 . This slow improvement rate is attributed partly to the long generation times of crop plants. Here, we present a method called 'speed breeding', which greatly shortens generation time and accelerates breeding and research programmes. Speed breeding can be used to achieve up to 6 generations per year for spring wheat (Triticum aestivum), durum wheat (T. durum), barley (Hordeum vulgare), chickpea (Cicer arietinum) and pea (Pisum sativum), and 4 generations for canola (Brassica napus), instead of 2-3 under normal glasshouse conditions. We demonstrate that speed breeding in fully enclosed, controlled-environment growth chambers can accelerate plant development for research purposes, including phenotyping of adult plant traits, mutant studies and transformation. The use of supplemental lighting in a glasshouse environment allows rapid generation cycling through single seed descent (SSD) and potential for adaptation to larger-scale crop improvement programs. Cost saving through light-emitting diode (LED) supplemental lighting is also outlined. We envisage great potential for integrating speed breeding with other modern crop breeding technologies, including high-throughput genotyping, genome editing and genomic selection, accelerating the rate of crop improvement.

QTLomics in Soybean: A Way Forward for Translational Genomics and Breeding

PubMed Central

Kumawat, Giriraj; Gupta, Sanjay; Ratnaparkhe, Milind B.; Maranna, Shivakumar; Satpute, Gyanesh K.

2016-01-01

Food legumes play an important role in attaining both food and nutritional security along with sustainable agricultural production for the well-being of humans globally. The various traits of economic importance in legume crops are complex and quantitative in nature, which are governed by quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Mapping of quantitative traits is a tedious and costly process, however, a large number of QTLs has been mapped in soybean for various traits albeit their utilization in breeding programmes is poorly reported. For their effective use in breeding programme it is imperative to narrow down the confidence interval of QTLs, to identify the underlying genes, and most importantly allelic characterization of these genes for identifying superior variants. In the field of functional genomics, especially in the identification and characterization of gene responsible for quantitative traits, soybean is far ahead from other legume crops. The availability of genic information about quantitative traits is more significant because it is easy and effective to identify homologs than identifying shared syntenic regions in other crop species. In soybean, genes underlying QTLs have been identified and functionally characterized for phosphorous efficiency, flowering and maturity, pod dehiscence, hard-seededness, α-Tocopherol content, soybean cyst nematode, sudden death syndrome, and salt tolerance. Candidate genes have also been identified for many other quantitative traits for which functional validation is required. Using the sequence information of identified genes from soybean, comparative genomic analysis of homologs in other legume crops could discover novel structural variants and useful alleles for functional marker development. The functional markers may be very useful for molecular breeding in soybean and harnessing benefit of translational research from soybean to other leguminous crops. Thus, soybean crop can act as a model crop for translational genomics and breeding of quantitative traits in legume crops. In this review, we summarize current status of identification and characterization of genes underlying QTLs for various quantitative traits in soybean and their significance in translational genomics and breeding of other legume crops. PMID:28066449

Assessing risk profiles for Salmonella serotypes in breeding pig operations in Portugal using a Bayesian hierarchical model.

PubMed

Correia-Gomes, Carla; Economou, Theodoros; Mendonça, Denisa; Vieira-Pinto, Madalena; Niza-Ribeiro, João

2012-11-21

The EU Regulation No 2160/2003 imposes a reduction in the prevalence of Salmonella in pigs. The efficiency of control programmes for Salmonella in pigs, reported among the EU Member States, varies and definitive eradication seems very difficult. Control measures currently recommended for Salmonella are not serotype-specific. Is it possible that the risk factors for different Salmonella serotypes are different? The aim of this study was to investigate potential risk factors for two groups of Salmonella sp serotypes using pen faecal samples from breeding pig holdings representative of the Portuguese pig sector. The data used come from the Baseline Survey for the Prevalence of Salmonella in breeding pigs in Portugal. A total of 1670 pen faecal samples from 167 herds were tested, and 170 samples were positive for Salmonella. The presence of Salmonella in each sample (outcome variable) was classified in three categories: i) no Salmonella, ii) Salmonella Typhimurium or S. Typhimurium-like strains with the antigenic formula: 1,4,5,12:i:-, , and iii) other serotypes. Along with the sample collection, a questionnaire concerning herd management and potential risk factors was utilised. The data have a "natural" hierarchical structure so a categorical multilevel analysis of the dataset was carried out using a Bayesian hierarchical model. The model was estimated using Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods, implemented in the software WinBUGS. The significant associations found (when compared to category "no Salmonella"), for category "serotype Typhimurium or S. Typhimurium-like strains with the antigenic formula: 1,4,5,12:i:-" were: age of breeding sows, size of the herd, number of pigs/pen and source of semen. For the category "other serotypes" the significant associations found were: control of rodents, region of the country, source of semen, breeding sector room and source of feed. The risk factors significantly associated with Salmonella shedding from the category "serotype Typhimurium or serotype 1,4,5,12:i:-" were more related to animal factors, whereas those associated with "other serotypes" were more related to environmental factors. Our findings suggest that different control measures could be used to control different Salmonella serotypes in breeding pigs.

Mapping of A1 conferring resistance to the aphid Amphorophora idaei and dw (dwarfing habit) in red raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) using AFLP and microsatellite markers

PubMed Central

Sargent, Daniel J; Fernández-Fernández, Felicidad; Rys, Alicja; Knight, Victoria H; Simpson, David W; Tobutt, Kenneth R

2007-01-01

Background Raspberry breeding programmes worldwide aim to produce improved cultivars to satisfy market demands and within these programmes there are many targets, including increased fruit quality, yield and season, and improved pest and disease resistance and plant habit. The large raspberry aphid, Amphorophora idaei, transmits four viruses and vector resistance is an objective in raspberry breeding. The development of molecular tools that discriminate between aphid resistance genes from different sources will allow the pyramiding of such genes and the development of raspberry varieties with superior pest resistance. We have raised a red raspberry (Rubus idaeus) F1 progeny from the cross 'Malling Jewel' × 'Malling Orion' (MJ × MO), which segregates for resistance to biotype 1 of the aphid Amphorophora idaei and for a second phenotypic trait, dwarf habit. These traits are controlled by single genes, denoted (A1) and (dw) respectively. Results The progeny of 94 seedlings was scored for the segregation of 95 AFLP and 22 SSR markers and a linkage map was constructed that covers a total genetic distance of 505 cM over seven linkage groups. The average linkage group length was 72.2 cM and there was an average of 17 markers per linkage group, of which at least two were codominant SSRs, allowing comparisons with previously published maps of raspberry. The two phenotypic traits, A1 and dw, mapped to linkage groups 3 and 6 respectively. Conclusion The mapping of A1 will facilitate the discrimination of resistance genes from different sources and the pyramiding of aphid resistance genes in new raspberry cultivars; the mapping of dw will allow further investigations into the genetics of dwarfing habit in Rubus. PMID:17374159

Zuivere en toegepaste wetenschap in de tropen : biologisch onderzoek aan particuliere proefstations in Nederlands-Indië 1870-1940

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Schoor, W. J.

2012-04-01

Most experiment stations originated from the cooperation between entrepreneurs and the government. From the 1890s onwards, the government, together with the well organised colonial entrepreneurs, established research departments for several plantation crops at the Botanical Gardens at Buitenzorg (now Bogor), that eventually became independent experiment stations in the first decades of the twentieth century. By the 1920s, the ‘proefstationswezen’ (experiment station system) numbered some fifteen private experiment stations or sub-stations. After the war, the private experiment stations together with the government experiment stations at Buitenzorg were to provide the backbone of Indonesian agricultural science. Dutch biologists in particular, made a striking plea for pursuing the natural sciences in the tropical colonies. First, they pointed out the scientific importance of the tropics. Secondly, they stressed the role of the natural sciences, in particular biology, as a natural ally of colonial agriculture. Pure science was seen as a leading force for technical and social progress. The third motive was the cultural value of science for the Netherlands and its colonies. The cultivation of science in the colonies gave international prestige and strengthened self-confidence in the imperial struggle around 1900. Science had a civilising effect; scientific research, however, was to remain in the hands of western, colonial scientists. From the 1880s and 1890s onward, the experiment stations in the Indies were characterised by their strategic aims and scientific orientation. Up to 1910, the ‘academic’ views of biologists like Treub and Went concerning science and practice were predominant, and research was considered to be the central aim. From 1910 onwards, advice became more central and special extension services were established at the experiment stations. Due to diverging views of science, tasks and aims became a battlefield for discussions in the next decades. In the background of these debates were the rise of Wageningen Agricultural College, the rise and institutionalisation of applied agricultural sciences and the increasing competition between Wageningen and university trained scientist. Genetics and breeding in particular were at the core of the research programmes. The practical aim of the breeding work, however, did not leave too much opportunity for more fundamental investigations. The impetus for pure research came from individual researchers. In tobacco and sugar cane breeding, new scientific theories provided inspiration, but to a large extent the practical breeding work built on nineteenth-century breeding techniques. In many respects, plant breeding and university genetics became separate disciplines. Circa one in six Dutch biologist worked for at least some time in the colony. The colonial experiment stations instilled a practical and pragmatic attitude to Dutch science into quite a number of biologists. Besides, the experiment stations system provided Dutch biologists with an extensive network and international contacts with fellow scientists, entrepreneurs and captains of industry. The scientific nationalism of Treub and Went, the bloom of the experiment stations and the ambitions of the Indies colonial elite did not result in the establishment of an independent, ‘Indische’ scientific community. Essentially, the Dutch East Indies were an exploitation province of Dutch science

The plant breeding industry after pure line theory: Lessons from the National Institute of Agricultural Botany.

PubMed

Berry, Dominic

2014-06-01

In the early twentieth century, Wilhelm Johannsen proposed his pure line theory and the genotype/phenotype distinction, work that is prized as one of the most important founding contributions to genetics and Mendelian plant breeding. Most historians have already concluded that pure line theory did not change breeding practices directly. Instead, breeding became more orderly as a consequence of pure line theory, which structured breeding programmes and eliminated external heritable influences. This incremental change then explains how and why the large multi-national seed companies that we know today were created; pure lines invited standardisation and economies of scale that the latter were designed to exploit. Rather than focus on breeding practice, this paper examines the plant varietal market itself. It focusses upon work conducted by the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB) during the interwar years, and in doing so demonstrates that, on the contrary, the pure line was actually only partially accepted by the industry. Moreover, claims that contradicted the logic of the pure line were not merely tolerated by the agricultural geneticists affiliated with NIAB, but were acknowledged and legitimised by them. The history of how and why the plant breeding industry was transformed remains to be written. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Experiments with a homologous, inactivated canine parvovirus vaccine in vaccination programmers for dogs.

PubMed

Wilson, J H; Hermann-Dekkers, W M

1982-01-01

The significance of canine parvovirus (CPV) infections as a permanent threat susceptible dogs, in particular pups, made the authors develop three liquid homologous inactivated adjuvant CPV vaccines that were compatible with existing canine vaccines and could be incorporated in current vaccination programmes. On vaccine (Kavak Parvo) contained only the CPV component, the second product (Kavak i-LP) also contained two inactivated leptospiral antigens, and the third vaccine (Kavak i-HLP) contained in addition an inactivated canine hepatitis virus. This paper reports on the studies conducted to test the safety and efficacy of the three products. They were used as such and as diluents for freeze dried vaccines containing live attenuated measles, distemper, and hepatitis viruses. The study was performed in a breeding kennel where all dogs were free from CPV antibodies and the nonvaccinated sentinels remained so for the course of the study. All vaccines proved to be safe in dogs of all ages, including pregnant bitches. The efficacy of the CPV component was studied both by monitoring antibody titres for more than a year and by challenge exposure of some dogs to virulent CPV. The results obtained from these studies prove that the CPV component used in the three vaccines can be incorporated as indicated in the recommended canine vaccination programmes. The observations that the inactivated CPV and hepatitis components do induce an active immunity in pups that are still protected by low levels of maternally derived antibodies against these viruses, make those vaccines very suitable in breeding kennels. Additional studies on a comparative basis are being continued in edemically CPV infected breeding kennels to quantify the significance of these observations in these special conditions.

Evaluation of the sustainability of contrasted pig farming systems: breeding programmes.

PubMed

Rydhmer, L; Gourdine, J L; de Greef, K; Bonneau, M

2014-12-01

The sustainability of breeding activities in 15 pig farming systems in five European countries was evaluated. One conventional and two differentiated systems per country were studied. The Conventional systems were the standard systems in their countries. The differentiated systems were of three categories: Adapted Conventional with focus on animal welfare, meat quality or environment (five systems); Traditional with local breeds in small-scale production (three systems) and Organic (two systems). Data were collected with a questionnaire from nine breeding organisations providing animals and semen to the studied farming systems and from, on average, five farmers per farming system. The sustainability assessment of breeding activities was performed in four dimensions. The first dimension described whether the market for the product was well defined, and whether the breeding goal reflected the farming system and the farmers' demands. The second dimension described recording and selection procedures, together with genetic change in traits that were important in the system. The third dimension described genetic variation, both within and between pig breeds. The fourth dimension described the management of the breeding organisation, including communication, transparency, and technical and human resources. The results show substantial differences in the sustainability of breeding activities, both between farming systems within the same category and between different categories of farming systems. The breeding activities are assessed to be more sustainable for conventional systems than for differentiated systems in three of the four dimensions. In most differentiated farming systems, breeding goals are not related to the system, as these systems use the same genetic material as conventional systems. The breeds used in Traditional farming systems are important for genetic biodiversity, but the small scale of these systems renders them vulnerable. It is hoped that, by reflecting on different aspects of sustainability, this study will encourage sustainable developments in pig production.

Genetic structure of South African Nguni (Zulu) sheep populations reveals admixture with exotic breeds.

PubMed

Selepe, Mokhethi Matthews; Ceccobelli, Simone; Lasagna, Emiliano; Kunene, Nokuthula Winfred

2018-01-01

The population of Zulu sheep is reported to have declined by 7.4% between 2007 and 2011 due to crossbreeding. There is insufficient information on the genetic diversity of the Zulu sheep populations in the different area of KwaZulu Natal where they are reared. The study investigated genetic variation and genetic structure within and among eight Zulu sheep populations using 26 microsatellite markers. In addition, Damara, Dorper and South African Merino breeds were included to assess the genetic relationship between these breeds and the Zulu sheep. The results showed that there is considerable genetic diversity among the Zulu sheep populations (expected heterozygosity ranging from 0.57 to 0.69) and the level of inbreeding was not remarkable. The structure analysis results revealed that Makhathini Research Station and UNIZULU research station share common genetic structure, while three populations (Nongoma, Ulundi and Nquthu) had some admixture with the exotic Dorper breed. Thus, there is a need for sustainable breeding and conservation programmes to control the gene flow, in order to stop possible genetic dilution of the Zulu sheep.

Genetic structure of South African Nguni (Zulu) sheep populations reveals admixture with exotic breeds

PubMed Central

Kunene, Nokuthula Winfred

2018-01-01

The population of Zulu sheep is reported to have declined by 7.4% between 2007 and 2011 due to crossbreeding. There is insufficient information on the genetic diversity of the Zulu sheep populations in the different area of KwaZulu Natal where they are reared. The study investigated genetic variation and genetic structure within and among eight Zulu sheep populations using 26 microsatellite markers. In addition, Damara, Dorper and South African Merino breeds were included to assess the genetic relationship between these breeds and the Zulu sheep. The results showed that there is considerable genetic diversity among the Zulu sheep populations (expected heterozygosity ranging from 0.57 to 0.69) and the level of inbreeding was not remarkable. The structure analysis results revealed that Makhathini Research Station and UNIZULU research station share common genetic structure, while three populations (Nongoma, Ulundi and Nquthu) had some admixture with the exotic Dorper breed. Thus, there is a need for sustainable breeding and conservation programmes to control the gene flow, in order to stop possible genetic dilution of the Zulu sheep. PMID:29698497

Reduction in antipredator response detected between first and second generations of endangered juvenile Atlantic salmon Salmo salar in a captive breeding and rearing programme.

PubMed

de Mestral, L G; Herbinger, C M

2013-11-01

Behaviour trials determining antipredator response were conducted on first and second generation juveniles from a captive breeding and rearing programme for endangered Inner Bay of Fundy Atlantic salmon Salmo salar. Second generation captive fry displayed significantly higher levels of risk-taking behaviour before and after exposure to a simulated avian predator. Because the first and second generation fry were reared under the same environmental conditions and differed only in the number of generations spent in captivity, these results suggest that rapid genetic changes, possibly due to domestication selection, may have occurred. Antipredator response was also assessed in fully wild and highly domesticated experimental groups: wild fry displayed the greatest antipredator response and domesticated fry displayed the highest levels of risk-taking behaviour. These results add to the growing evidence documenting rapid genetic change in response to rearing in a captive environment. © 2013 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Exploration of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis to Improve Animal Welfare by Means of Genetic Selection: Lessons from the South African Merino

PubMed Central

Hough, Denise; Swart, Pieter; Cloete, Schalk

2013-01-01

Simple Summary Breeding sheep that are robust and easily managed may be beneficial for both animal welfare and production. Sheep that are more readily able to adapt to stressful situations and a wide variety of environmental conditions are likely to have more resources available for a higher expression of their production potential. This review explores the utilization of one of the stress response pathways, namely the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, to locate potential sites where genetic markers might be identified that contribute to sheep robustness. A South African Merino breeding programme is used to demonstrate the potential benefits of this approach. Abstract It is a difficult task to improve animal production by means of genetic selection, if the environment does not allow full expression of the animal’s genetic potential. This concept may well be the future for animal welfare, because it highlights the need to incorporate traits related to production and robustness, simultaneously, to reach sustainable breeding goals. This review explores the identification of potential genetic markers for robustness within the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA), since this axis plays a vital role in the stress response. If genetic selection for superior HPAA responses to stress is possible, then it ought to be possible to breed robust and easily managed genotypes that might be able to adapt to a wide range of environmental conditions whilst expressing a high production potential. This approach is explored in this review by means of lessons learnt from research on Merino sheep, which were divergently selected for their multiple rearing ability. These two selection lines have shown marked differences in reproduction, production and welfare, which makes this breeding programme ideal to investigate potential genetic markers of robustness. The HPAA function is explored in detail to elucidate where such genetic markers are likely to be found. PMID:26487412

Evolution of the genetic variability of eight French dairy cattle breeds assessed by pedigree analysis.

PubMed

Danchin-Burge, C; Leroy, G; Brochard, M; Moureaux, S; Verrier, E

2012-06-01

A pedigree analysis was performed on eight French dairy cattle breeds to assess their change in genetic variability since a first analysis completed in 1996. The Holstein, Normande and Montbéliarde breeds are selected internationally with over hundreds of thousands cows registered in the performance recording system. Three breeds are internationally selected but with limited numbers of cows in France (Brown Swiss, French Simmental and French Red Pied). The last two remaining breeds (Abondance and Tarentaise) are raised at regional level. The effective numbers of ancestors of cows born between 2004 and 2007 varied between 15 (Abondance and Tarentaise) and 51 (French Red Pied). The effective population sizes (classical approach) varied between 53 (Abondance) and 197 (French Red Pied). This article also compares the genetic variability of the ex situ (collections of the French National Cryobank) and in situ populations. The results were commented in regard to the recent history of gene flows in the different breeds as well as the existence of more or less stringent bottlenecks. Our results showed that whatever the size of the breeds, their genetic diversity impoverished quite rapidly since 1996 and they all could be considered as quite poor from a genetic diversity point of view. It shows the need for setting up cryobanks as gene reservoirs as well as sustainable breeding programmes that include loss of genetic diversity as an integrated control parameter. © 2011 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Transcriptome architecture across tissues in the pig

PubMed Central

Ferraz, André LJ; Ojeda, Ana; López-Béjar, Manel; Fernandes, Lana T; Castelló, Anna; Folch, Josep M; Pérez-Enciso, Miguel

2008-01-01

Background Artificial selection has resulted in animal breeds with extreme phenotypes. As an organism is made up of many different tissues and organs, each with its own genetic programme, it is pertinent to ask: How relevant is tissue in terms of total transcriptome variability? Which are the genes most distinctly expressed between tissues? Does breed or sex equally affect the transcriptome across tissues? Results In order to gain insight on these issues, we conducted microarray expression profiling of 16 different tissues from four animals of two extreme pig breeds, Large White and Iberian, two males and two females. Mixed model analysis and neighbor – joining trees showed that tissues with similar developmental origin clustered closer than those with different embryonic origins. Often a sound biological interpretation was possible for overrepresented gene ontology categories within differentially expressed genes between groups of tissues. For instance, an excess of nervous system or muscle development genes were found among tissues of ectoderm or mesoderm origins, respectively. Tissue accounted for ~11 times more variability than sex or breed. Nevertheless, we were able to confidently identify genes with differential expression across tissues between breeds (33 genes) and between sexes (19 genes). The genes primarily affected by sex were overall different than those affected by breed or tissue. Interaction with tissue can be important for differentially expressed genes between breeds but not so much for genes whose expression differ between sexes. Conclusion Embryonic development leaves an enduring footprint on the transcriptome. The interaction in gene × tissue for differentially expressed genes between breeds suggests that animal breeding has targeted differentially each tissue's transcriptome. PMID:18416811

Vertical transmission of honey bee viruses in a Belgian queen breeding program.

PubMed

Ravoet, Jorgen; De Smet, Lina; Wenseleers, Tom; de Graaf, Dirk C

2015-03-14

The Member States of European Union are encouraged to improve the general conditions for the production and marketing of apicultural products. In Belgium, programmes on the restocking of honey bee hives have run for many years. Overall, the success ratio of this queen breeding programme has been only around 50%. To tackle this low efficacy, we organized sanitary controls of the breeding queens in 2012 and 2014. We found a high quantity of viruses, with more than 75% of the egg samples being infected with at least one virus. The most abundant viruses were Deformed Wing Virus and Sacbrood Virus (≥40%), although Lake Sinai Virus and Acute Bee Paralysis Virus were also occasionally detected (between 10-30%). In addition, Aphid Lethal Paralysis Virus strain Brookings, Black Queen Cell Virus, Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus and Varroa destructor Macula-like Virus occurred at very low prevalences (≤5%). Remarkably, we found Apis mellifera carnica bees to be less infected with Deformed Wing Virus than Buckfast bees (p < 0.01), and also found them to have a lower average total number of infecting viruses (p < 0.001). This is a significant finding, given that Deformed Wing Virus has earlier been shown to be a contributory factor to winter mortality and Colony Collapse Disorder. Moreover, negative-strand detection of Sacbrood Virus in eggs was demonstrated for the first time. High pathogen loads were observed in this sanitary control program. We documented for the first time vertical transmission of some viruses, as well as significant differences between two honey bee races in being affected by Deformed Wing Virus. Nevertheless, we could not demonstrate a correlation between the presence of viruses and queen breeding efficacies.

Use of herd management programmes to improve the reproductive performance of dairy cattle.

PubMed

McDougall, S; Heuer, C; Morton, J; Brownlie, T

2014-05-01

There has been a long history of herd health and production management programmes in many dairy industries around the world, but evidence for the efficacy of such programmes is limited. In response to a perceived decline in fertility of dairy cows, a herd reproductive management programme (InCalf) was introduced in New Zealand in 2007. This programme uses a management cycle approach that includes an assessment of the current herd status, identification of areas for improvement, development of a plan, implementation of this plan and finally a review process. The programme uses facilitators who work with farmers either in a one-to-one manner or in a formalised group setting that involves a series of meetings over a 12-month period (the farmer action group). The hypothesis that involvement in a reproductive management programme would improve herd reproductive performance was tested using a herd-level controlled randomised study (the National Herd Fertility Study) involving herds in four geographic regions of New Zealand over 2 years. Within each region, herds were ranked on the basis of the 6-week in-calf rate (i.e. the proportion of the herd pregnant in the first 6 weeks of the seasonal breeding programme) in the year preceding commencement of the study and then randomly assigned to be involved in a farmer action group or left as untreated controls. The key outcome variable of the study was the 6-week in-calf rate. Pregnancy diagnosis was undertaken at 12 weeks after the start of the seasonal breeding programme, which allowed determination of conception dates and hence calculation of the 6-week in-calf rate. Additional measurements including heifer live weight and body condition score (pre-calving and pre-mating) were undertaken to test whether treatment resulted in measurable changes in some of the key determinants of herd reproductive performance. Involvement in the farmer action group of InCalf resulted in a 2 percentage point increase in the 6-week in-calf rate (P=0.05). The following additional observations were made in herds involved in the farmer action group relative to control herds: heifers had live weight closer to target; the pre-mating body condition score of cows was higher; and oestrous detection rates were higher. It was concluded that involvement in this herd reproductive management programme improved reproductive outcomes in this New Zealand study. However, to achieve substantial improvements in herd reproductive performance at the regional or national level a greater response to the programme and a high uptake of such programmes is required, as well as use of other industry-level tools such as genetic management programmes.

Monitoring grasshopper and locust habitats in Sahelian Africa using GIS and remote sensing technology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tappan, G. Gray; Moore, Donald G.; Knauseberger, Walter I.

1991-01-01

Development programmes in Sahelian Africa are beginning to use geographic information system (GIS) technology. One of the GIS and remote sensing programmes introduced to the region in the late 1980s was the use of seasonal vegetation maps made from satellite data to support grasshopper and locust control. Following serious outbreaks of these pests in 1987, the programme addressed a critical need, by national and international crop protection organizations, to monitor site-specific dynamic vegetation conditions associated with grasshopper and locust breeding. The primary products used in assessing vegetation conditions were vegetation index (greenness) image maps derived from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite imagery. Vegetation index data were integrated in a GIS with digital cartographic data of individual Sahelian countries. These near-real-time image maps were used regularly in 10 countries for locating potential grasshopper and locust habitats. The programme to monitor vegetation conditions is currently being institutionalized in the Sahel.

[Knowledge and practices concerning taeniasis-cysticercosis in Colombian pig-breeders].

PubMed

Agudelo-Flórez, Piedad; Restrepo, Berta N; Palacio, Luis G

2009-01-01

Describing knowledge and practices regarding taeniasis-cysticercosis and cysticercosis prevalence in the village of Andagoya, Colombia. The study design was qualitative and quantitative. The study population consisted of pig breeders and their families, local groups and pigs. Study participants had partial knowledge of the taeniasis-cysticercosis complex. They considered taeniasis to be an illness resulting from faecal transmission and not caused by becoming infected with cysticercosis after consuming pork. Pig breeding is not carried out in confined conditions and, although breeders know the right measures for controlling some parasitic illnesses, these practices are not observed. There was 8.7% presence of T. solium antibodies in pig breeders and their relatives and 20.9% in the pigs. An educational programme aimed at raising the population's awareness of the taeniasis-cysticercosis complex cycle should be developed; this will facilitate control measures being applied.

Histopathological survey of potential biomarkers for the assessment of contaminant related biological effects in species of fish and shellfish collected from Kuwait Bay, Arabian Gulf.

PubMed

Stentiford, G D; Massoud, M S; Al-Mudhhi, S; Al-Sarawi, M A; Al-Enezi, M; Lyons, B P

2014-07-01

The marine environment in Kuwait is dominated by Kuwait Bay, a shallow, depositional habitat vital for the breeding and propagation of marine organisms. The bay receives effluent inputs from industrial centres, ports, sewage outflows along with discharges from power and desalination plants. The major classes of pollutant discharged into the bay include petroleum hydrocarbons, metals, nutrients, cooling water and hyper-saline water. Further, the bay has been historically impacted by a deliberate release of oil and contamination with ordnance and shipwrecks during the 1991 Gulf war. With an aim to establish an integrated pollution effects monitoring programme in Kuwait, this paper describes the application of a quality assured approach to conduct a histopathology baseline survey in oriental sole (Synaptura orientalis) and the large-toothed flounder (Pseudorhombus arsius), which are two potential sentinel flatfish species present in the Arabian Gulf. Liver and gonadal histopathology revealed a range of pathologies similar to those previously observed in European and American pollution effects surveys that utilise flatfish (including pathology markers indicative of possible carcinogenesis and endocrine disruption). Further, we extended these studies to invertebrates (Jinga prawn, Metapenaeus affinis and the grooved tiger prawn, Penaeus semisulcatus) found within the Arabian Gulf. Such baseline data is essential before attempts are made to develop integrated monitoring programmes that aim to assess the health of fish and shellfish in relation to chemical contamination. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessing risk profiles for Salmonella serotypes in breeding pig operations in Portugal using a Bayesian hierarchical model

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The EU Regulation No 2160/2003 imposes a reduction in the prevalence of Salmonella in pigs. The efficiency of control programmes for Salmonella in pigs, reported among the EU Member States, varies and definitive eradication seems very difficult. Control measures currently recommended for Salmonella are not serotype-specific. Is it possible that the risk factors for different Salmonella serotypes are different? The aim of this study was to investigate potential risk factors for two groups of Salmonella sp serotypes using pen faecal samples from breeding pig holdings representative of the Portuguese pig sector. Methods The data used come from the Baseline Survey for the Prevalence of Salmonella in breeding pigs in Portugal. A total of 1670 pen faecal samples from 167 herds were tested, and 170 samples were positive for Salmonella. The presence of Salmonella in each sample (outcome variable) was classified in three categories: i) no Salmonella, ii) Salmonella Typhimurium or S. Typhimurium-like strains with the antigenic formula: 1,4,5,12:i:-, , and iii) other serotypes. Along with the sample collection, a questionnaire concerning herd management and potential risk factors was utilised. The data have a “natural” hierarchical structure so a categorical multilevel analysis of the dataset was carried out using a Bayesian hierarchical model. The model was estimated using Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods, implemented in the software WinBUGS. Results The significant associations found (when compared to category “no Salmonella”), for category “serotype Typhimurium or S. Typhimurium-like strains with the antigenic formula: 1,4,5,12:i:-” were: age of breeding sows, size of the herd, number of pigs/pen and source of semen. For the category “other serotypes” the significant associations found were: control of rodents, region of the country, source of semen, breeding sector room and source of feed. Conclusions The risk factors significantly associated with Salmonella shedding from the category “serotype Typhimurium or serotype 1,4,5,12:i:-“ were more related to animal factors, whereas those associated with “other serotypes” were more related to environmental factors. Our findings suggest that different control measures could be used to control different Salmonella serotypes in breeding pigs. PMID:23171637

Genetic correlations between dressage, show jumping and studbook-entry inspection traits in a process of specialization in Dutch Warmblood horses.

PubMed

Rovere, G; Ducro, B J; van Arendonk, J A M; Norberg, E; Madsen, P

2017-04-01

Sport performance in dressage and show jumping are two important traits in the breeding goals of many studbooks. To determine the optimum selection scheme for jumping and dressage, knowledge is needed on the genetic correlation between both disciplines and between traits measured early in life and performance in competition in each discipline. This study aimed to estimate genetic parameters to support decision-making on specialization of breeding horses for dressage and show jumping in Dutch warmblood horses. Genetic correlations between performance of horses in dressage and show jumping were estimated as well as the genetic correlation between traits recorded during studbook-entry inspections and performance in dressage and show jumping competitions. The information on competition comprised the performance of 82 694 horses in dressage and 62 072 horses in show jumping, recorded in the period 1993-2012. For 26 056 horses, information was available for both disciplines. The information on traits recorded at studbook-entry inspections comprised 62 628 horses, recorded in the period 1992-2013. Genetic parameters were estimated from the whole dataset and from a subset without horses recorded in both disciplines. Additionally, the genetic parameters were estimated in three different time periods defined by horses' birth year. The genetic correlation between dressage and show jumping in the whole dataset was -0.23, and it was -0.03 when it was estimated from horses recorded in only one discipline. The genetic correlation between dressage and show jumping was more negative in the most recent time period in all the cases. The more negative correlation between disciplines in more recent time periods was not reflected in changes in the correlations between competitions traits and the traits recorded in the studbook-first inspection. These results suggest that a breeding programme under specialization might be most effective defining two separate aggregate breeding goals for each of the disciplines. © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Increasing our knowledge of male mosquito biology in relation to genetic control programmes

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The enormous burden placed on populations worldwide by mosquito-borne diseases, most notably malaria and dengue, is currently being tackled by the use of insecticides sprayed in residences or applied to bednets, and in the case of dengue vectors through reduction of larval breeding sites. However, t...

Comparative costs of programmes to conserve chicken genetic variation based on maintaining living populations or storing cryopreserved material

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Consolidations in the poultry breeding industry and academic poultry departments have resulted in the loss of avian populations. The cost of maintaining living populations is high, but ex-situ alternatives are now available. Semen can be cryopreserved and lines can be recovered by backcrossing, or...

De Novo Assembly and Functional Annotation of the Olive (Olea europaea) Transcriptome

PubMed Central

Muñoz-Mérida, Antonio; González-Plaza, Juan José; Cañada, Andrés; Blanco, Ana María; García-López, Maria del Carmen; Rodríguez, José Manuel; Pedrola, Laia; Sicardo, M. Dolores; Hernández, M. Luisa; De la Rosa, Raúl; Belaj, Angjelina; Gil-Borja, Mayte; Luque, Francisco; Martínez-Rivas, José Manuel; Pisano, David G.; Trelles, Oswaldo; Valpuesta, Victoriano; Beuzón, Carmen R.

2013-01-01

Olive breeding programmes are focused on selecting for traits as short juvenile period, plant architecture suited for mechanical harvest, or oil characteristics, including fatty acid composition, phenolic, and volatile compounds to suit new markets. Understanding the molecular basis of these characteristics and improving the efficiency of such breeding programmes require the development of genomic information and tools. However, despite its economic relevance, genomic information on olive or closely related species is still scarce. We have applied Sanger and 454 pyrosequencing technologies to generate close to 2 million reads from 12 cDNA libraries obtained from the Picual, Arbequina, and Lechin de Sevilla cultivars and seedlings from a segregating progeny of a Picual × Arbequina cross. The libraries include fruit mesocarp and seeds at three relevant developmental stages, young stems and leaves, active juvenile and adult buds as well as dormant buds, and juvenile and adult roots. The reads were assembled by library or tissue and then assembled together into 81 020 unigenes with an average size of 496 bases. Here, we report their assembly and their functional annotation. PMID:23297299

Development of NIRS models to predict protein and amylose content of brown rice and proximate compositions of rice bran.

PubMed

Bagchi, Torit Baran; Sharma, Srigopal; Chattopadhyay, Krishnendu

2016-01-15

With the escalating persuasion of economic and nutritional importance of rice grain protein and nutritional components of rice bran (RB), NIRS can be an effective tool for high throughput screening in rice breeding programme. Optimization of NIRS is prerequisite for accurate prediction of grain quality parameters. In the present study, 173 brown rice (BR) and 86 RB samples with a wide range of values were used to compare the calibration models generated by different chemometrics for grain protein (GPC) and amylose content (AC) of BR and proximate compositions (protein, crude oil, moisture, ash and fiber content) of RB. Various modified partial least square (mPLSs) models corresponding with the best mathematical treatments were identified for all components. Another set of 29 genotypes derived from the breeding programme were employed for the external validation of these calibration models. High accuracy of all these calibration and prediction models was ensured through pair t-test and correlation regression analysis between reference and predicted values. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Conservation of indigenous cattle genetic resources in Southern Africa's smallholder areas: turning threats into opportunities - A review.

PubMed

Nyamushamba, G B; Mapiye, C; Tada, O; Halimani, T E; Muchenje, V

2017-05-01

The current review focuses on characterization and conservation efforts vital for the development of breeding programmes for indigenous beef cattle genetic resources in Southern Africa. Indigenous African cattle breeds were identified and characterized using information from refereed journals, conference papers and research reports. Results of this current review reviewed that smallholder beef cattle production in Southern Africa is extensive and dominated by indigenous beef cattle strains adaptable to the local environment. The breeds include Nguni, Mashona, Tuli, Malawi Zebu, Bovino de Tete, Angoni, Landim, Barotse, Twsana and Ankole. These breeds have important functions ranging from provision of food and income to socio-economic, cultural and ecological roles. They also have adaptive traits ranging from drought tolerant, resistance to ticks and tick borne diseases, heat tolerance and resistance to trypanosomosis. Stakeholders in the conservation of beef cattle were also identified and they included farmers, national government, research institutes and universities as well as breeding companies and societies in Southern Africa. Research efforts made to evaluate threats and opportunities of indigenous beef cattle production systems, assess the contribution of indigenous cattle to household food security and income, genetically and phenotypically characterize and conserve indigenous breeds, and develop breeding programs for smallholder beef production are highlighted. Although smallholder beef cattle production in the smallholder farming systems contributes substantially to household food security and income, their productivity is hindered by several constraints that include high prevalence of diseases and parasites, limited feed availability and poor marketing. The majority of the African cattle populations remain largely uncharacterized although most of the indigenous cattle breeds have been identified.

Obesity in show dogs.

PubMed

Corbee, R J

2013-10-01

Obesity is an important disease with a growing incidence. Because obesity is related to several other diseases, and decreases life span, it is important to identify the population at risk. Several risk factors for obesity have been described in the literature. A higher incidence of obesity in certain breeds is often suggested. The aim of this study was to determine whether obesity occurs more often in certain breeds. The second aim was to relate the increased prevalence of obesity in certain breeds to the official standards of that breed. To this end, we investigated 1379 dogs of 128 different breeds by determining their body condition score (BCS). Overall, 18.6% of the show dogs had a BCS >5, and 1.1% of the show dogs had a BCS>7. There were significant differences between breeds, which could be correlated to the breed standards. It warrants firm discussions with breeders and judges in order to come to different interpretations of the standards to prevent overweight conditions from being the standard of beauty. © 2012 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Preselection statistics and Random Forest classification identify population informative single nucleotide polymorphisms in cosmopolitan and autochthonous cattle breeds.

PubMed

Bertolini, F; Galimberti, G; Schiavo, G; Mastrangelo, S; Di Gerlando, R; Strillacci, M G; Bagnato, A; Portolano, B; Fontanesi, L

2018-01-01

Commercial single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays have been recently developed for several species and can be used to identify informative markers to differentiate breeds or populations for several downstream applications. To identify the most discriminating genetic markers among thousands of genotyped SNPs, a few statistical approaches have been proposed. In this work, we compared several methods of SNPs preselection (Delta, F st and principal component analyses (PCA)) in addition to Random Forest classifications to analyse SNP data from six dairy cattle breeds, including cosmopolitan (Holstein, Brown and Simmental) and autochthonous Italian breeds raised in two different regions and subjected to limited or no breeding programmes (Cinisara, Modicana, raised only in Sicily and Reggiana, raised only in Emilia Romagna). From these classifications, two panels of 96 and 48 SNPs that contain the most discriminant SNPs were created for each preselection method. These panels were evaluated in terms of the ability to discriminate as a whole and breed-by-breed, as well as linkage disequilibrium within each panel. The obtained results showed that for the 48-SNP panel, the error rate increased mainly for autochthonous breeds, probably as a consequence of their admixed origin lower selection pressure and by ascertaining bias in the construction of the SNP chip. The 96-SNP panels were generally more able to discriminate all breeds. The panel derived by PCA-chrom (obtained by a preselection chromosome by chromosome) could identify informative SNPs that were particularly useful for the assignment of minor breeds that reached the lowest value of Out Of Bag error even in the Cinisara, whose value was quite high in all other panels. Moreover, this panel contained also the lowest number of SNPs in linkage disequilibrium. Several selected SNPs are located nearby genes affecting breed-specific phenotypic traits (coat colour and stature) or associated with production traits. In general, our results demonstrated the usefulness of Random Forest in combination to other reduction techniques to identify population informative SNPs.

Estimates of effective population size and inbreeding in South African indigenous chicken populations: implications for the conservation of unique genetic resources.

PubMed

Mtileni, Bohani; Dzama, Kennedy; Nephawe, Khathutshelo; Rhode, Clint

2016-06-01

Conservation of locally adapted indigenous livestock breeds has become an important objective in sustainable animal breeding, as these breeds represent a unique genetic resource. Therefore, the Agricultural Research Council of South Africa initiated a conservation programme for four South African indigenous chicken breeds. The evaluation and monitoring of the genetic constitution of these conservation flocks is important for proper management of the conservation programme. Using molecular genetic analyses, the effective population sizes and relatedness of these conservation flocks were compared to village (field) chicken populations from which they were derived. Genetic diversity within and between these populations are further discussed within the context of population size. The conservation flocks for the respective breeds had relatively small effective population sizes (point estimate range 38.6-78.6) in comparison to the field populations (point estimate range 118.9-580.0). Furthermore, evidence supports a transient heterozygous excess, generally associated with the occurrence of a recent population bottleneck. Genetic diversity, as measured by the number of alleles, heterozygosity and information index, was also significantly reduced in the conservation flocks. The average relatedness amongst the conservation flocks was high, whilst it remained low for the field populations. There was also significant evidence for population differentiation between field and conservation populations. F st estimates for conservation flocks were moderate to high with a maximum reached between VD_C and VD_F (0.285). However, F st estimates for field population were excessively low between the NN_C and EC_F (0.007) and between EC_F and OV_F (0.009). The significant population differentiation of the conservation flocks from their geographically correlated field populations of origin is further supported by the analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), with 10.51 % of genetic diversity ascribed to population differences within groups (F SC = 0.106). The results suggest that significant genetic erosion has occurred within the conservation flocks due to inbreeding, pronounced effects of random drift and selection. It might be necessary to introduce new breeding individuals from the respective field populations in order to increase the effective population sizes of the conservation flocks and counter the effects of genetic erosion.

Ultra-low-density genotype panels for breed assignment of Angus and Hereford cattle.

PubMed

Judge, M M; Kelleher, M M; Kearney, J F; Sleator, R D; Berry, D P

2017-06-01

Angus and Hereford beef is marketed internationally for apparent superior meat quality attributes; DNA-based breed authenticity could be a useful instrument to ensure consumer confidence on premium meat products. The objective of this study was to develop an ultra-low-density genotype panel to accurately quantify the Angus and Hereford breed proportion in biological samples. Medium-density genotypes (13 306 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)) were available on 54 703 commercial and 4042 purebred animals. The breed proportion of the commercial animals was generated from the medium-density genotypes and this estimate was regarded as the gold-standard breed composition. Ten genotype panels (100 to 1000 SNPs) were developed from the medium-density genotypes; five methods were used to identify the most informative SNPs and these included the Delta statistic, the fixation (F st) statistic and an index of both. Breed assignment analyses were undertaken for each breed, panel density and SNP selection method separately with a programme to infer population structure using the entire 13 306 SNP panel (representing the gold-standard measure). Breed assignment was undertaken for all commercial animals (n=54 703), animals deemed to contain some proportion of Angus based on pedigree (n=5740) and animals deemed to contain some proportion of Hereford based on pedigree (n=5187). The predicted breed proportion of all animals from the lower density panels was then compared with the gold-standard breed prediction. Panel density, SNP selection method and breed all had a significant effect on the correlation of predicted and actual breed proportion. Regardless of breed, the Index method of SNP selection numerically (but not significantly) outperformed all other selection methods in accuracy (i.e. correlation and root mean square of prediction) when panel density was ⩾300 SNPs. The correlation between actual and predicted breed proportion increased as panel density increased. Using 300 SNPs (selected using the global index method), the correlation between predicted and actual breed proportion was 0.993 and 0.995 in the Angus and Hereford validation populations, respectively. When SNP panels optimised for breed prediction in one population were used to predict the breed proportion of a separate population, the correlation between predicted and actual breed proportion was 0.034 and 0.044 weaker in the Hereford and Angus populations, respectively (using the 300 SNP panel). It is necessary to include at least 300 to 400 SNPs (per breed) on genotype panels to accurately predict breed proportion from biological samples.

Frequency and distribution of the brown rust resistance gene Bru1 and implications for the Louisiana sugarcane breeding programme

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Brown rust, caused by the fungus Puccinia melanocephala, is an important disease of sugarcane posing an increasing threat to sugarcane industries worldwide. A major gene, Bru1, has been shown to contribute a significant proportion of brown rust resistance in multiple sugarcane industries. The recent...

Exploration of a rare population of Chinese chestnut in North America: stand dynamics, health and genetic relationships

Treesearch

Amy C. Miller; Keith E. Woeste; Sandra L. Anagnostakis; Doutlass F. Jacobs

2014-01-01

With the transport of plants around the globe, exotic species can readily spread disease to their native relatives; however, they can also provide genetic resistance to those relatives through hybrid breeding programmes. American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was an abundant tree species in North America until its decimation by introduced chestnut...

Genetic variability and structure of jaguar (Panthera onca) in Mexican zoos.

PubMed

Rueda-Zozaya, Pilar; Mendoza-Martínez, Germán D; Martínez-Gómez, Daniel; Monroy-Vilchis, Octavio; Godoy, José Antonio; Sunny, Armando; Palomares, Francisco; Chávez, Cuauhtémoc; Herrera-Haro, José

2016-02-01

Genealogical records of animals (studbook) are created to avoid reproduction between closely related individuals, which could cause inbreeding, particularly for such endangered species as the Panthera onca (Linnaeus, 1758). Jaguar is the largest felid in the Americas and is considered an important ecological key species. In Mexico, wild jaguar populations have been significantly reduced in recent decades, and population decline typically accompany decreases in genetic variation. There is no current census of captive jaguars in Mexico, and zoos do not follow a standardized protocol in breeding programs based on genetic studies. Here, we emphasise the importance of maintaining an adequate level of genetic variation and propose the implementation of standardised studbooks for jaguars in Mexico, mainly to avoid inbreeding. In addition, achieving the aims of studbook registration would provide a population genetic characterisation that could serve as a basis for ex situ conservation programmes.

Higher heritabilities for gait components than for overall gait scores may improve mobility in ducks.

PubMed

Duggan, Brendan M; Rae, Anne M; Clements, Dylan N; Hocking, Paul M

2017-05-02

Genetic progress in selection for greater body mass and meat yield in poultry has been associated with an increase in gait problems which are detrimental to productivity and welfare. The incidence of suboptimal gait in breeding flocks is controlled through the use of a visual gait score, which is a subjective assessment of walking ability of each bird. The subjective nature of the visual gait score has led to concerns over its effectiveness in reducing the incidence of suboptimal gait in poultry through breeding. The aims of this study were to assess the reliability of the current visual gait scoring system in ducks and to develop a more objective method to select for better gait. Experienced gait scorers assessed short video clips of walking ducks to estimate the reliability of the current visual gait scoring system. Kendall's coefficients of concordance between and within observers were estimated at 0.49 and 0.75, respectively. In order to develop a more objective scoring system, gait components were visually scored on more than 4000 pedigreed Pekin ducks and genetic parameters were estimated for these components. Gait components, which are a more objective measure, had heritabilities that were as good as, or better than, those of the overall visual gait score. Measurement of gait components is simpler and therefore more objective than the standard visual gait score. The recording of gait components can potentially be automated, which may increase accuracy further and may improve heritability estimates. Genetic correlations were generally low, which suggests that it is possible to use gait components to select for an overall improvement in both economic traits and gait as part of a balanced breeding programme.

Disentangling migratory routes and wintering grounds of Iberian near-threatened European Rollers Coracias garrulus.

PubMed

Rodríguez-Ruiz, Juan; de la Puente, Javier; Parejo, Deseada; Valera, Francisco; Calero-Torralbo, Miguel A; Reyes-González, José M; Zajková, Zuzana; Bermejo, Ana; Avilés, Jesús M

2014-01-01

Long-distance migrants are suffering drastic declines in the last decades. Causes beneath this problem are complex due to the wide spatial and temporal scale involved. We aim to reveal migratory routes, stopover areas, wintering grounds, and migratory strategies for the most southwestern populations of the near-threatened European Roller Coracias garrulus in order to identify conservation key areas for the non-breeding stage of this species. To this end, we used tracking data from seven satellite transmitters fitted to birds breeding in different populations throughout the Iberian Peninsula and four geolocators fitted to individuals in a southeastern Iberian population. Precise satellite data were used to describe daily activity patterns and speed in relation to the main regions crossed during the migration. Individuals from the most southwestern Iberian populations made a detour towards the Atlantic African coast whereas those from northeastern populations followed a straight north-to-south route. We identified important stopover areas in the Sahel belt, mainly in the surroundings of the Lake Chad, and wintering grounds on southwestern Africa farther west than previously reported for the species. Concerning the migratory strategy, satellite data revealed: 1) a mainly nocturnal flying activity, 2) that migration speed depended on the type of crossed habitat, with higher average speed while crossing the desert; and 3) that the migration was slower and lasted longer in autumn than in spring. The studied populations showed weak migratory connectivity, suggesting the confluence of birds from a wide range of breeding grounds in a restricted wintering area. Therefore, we suggest to target on defining precisely key areas for this species and identifying specific threats in them in order to develop an appropriate global conservation programme for the European Roller.

Soil coring at multiple field environments can directly quantify variation in deep root traits to select wheat genotypes for breeding.

PubMed

Wasson, A P; Rebetzke, G J; Kirkegaard, J A; Christopher, J; Richards, R A; Watt, M

2014-11-01

We aim to incorporate deep root traits into future wheat varieties to increase access to stored soil water during grain development, which is twice as valuable for yield as water captured at younger stages. Most root phenotyping efforts have been indirect studies in the laboratory, at young plant stages, or using indirect shoot measures. Here, soil coring to 2 m depth was used across three field environments to directly phenotype deep root traits on grain development (depth, descent rate, density, length, and distribution). Shoot phenotypes at coring included canopy temperature depression, chlorophyll reflectance, and green leaf scoring, with developmental stage, biomass, and yield. Current varieties, and genotypes with breeding histories and plant architectures expected to promote deep roots, were used to maximize identification of variation due to genetics. Variation was observed for deep root traits (e.g. 111.4-178.5cm (60%) for depth; 0.09-0.22cm/°C day (144%) for descent rate) using soil coring in the field environments. There was significant variation for root traits between sites, and variation in the relative performance of genotypes between sites. However, genotypes were identified that performed consistently well or poorly at both sites. Furthermore, high-performing genotypes were statistically superior in root traits than low-performing genotypes or commercial varieties. There was a weak but significant negative correlation between green leaf score (-0.5), CTD (0.45), and rooting depth and a positive correlation for chlorophyll reflectance (0.32). Shoot phenotypes did not predict other root traits. This study suggests that field coring can directly identify variation in deep root traits to speed up selection of genotypes for breeding programmes. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

Dogs attending primary-care practice in England with clinical signs suggestive of Chiari-like malformation/syringomyelia.

PubMed

Sanchis-Mora, S; Pelligand, L; Thomas, C L; Volk, H A; Abeyesinghe, S M; Brodbelt, D C; Church, D B; Thomson, P C; McGreevy, P D; O'Neill, D G

2016-10-29

Chiari-like malformation/syringomyelia (CM/SM) in dogs describes a developmental disorder that can cause pain and reduced quality of life. This retrospective study aimed to report the period prevalence, clinical signs and risk factors for diagnosis of symptomatic CM/SM in the veterinary primary-care setting using a cross-sectional design. The study population included all dogs within the VetCompass Programme (September 1, 2009-June 13, 2014). Overall, the period prevalence of symptomatic CM/SM was 0.05 per cent (95 per cent CI 0.04 per cent to 0.06 per cent) for all breeds. The period prevalence in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (CKCS) was 1.6 per cent (95 per cent CI 1.2 to 2.06). Other breeds at increased odds included the King Charles Spaniel (KCS), Affenpinscher, Chihuahua and Pomeranian. Insured dogs had 4.6 times the odds (95 per cent CI 2.95 to 7.17) of having a diagnosis of CM/SM compared with uninsured dogs. Pain was the most commonly associated clinical sign (67 dogs, 72 per cent). Analgesics were prescribed to 72 (77.4 per cent) of the symptomatic dogs. Despite its low overall period prevalence, the high proportion of affected dogs identified with chronic pain suggests a significant welfare issue. Financial implications could impede the diagnostic process and lead to underestimation of the true prevalence. This study may help to inform clinicians about the clinical relevance and the need for improved awareness of clinical signs, particularly in high-risk breeds, to optimise the management of CM/SM in primary-care practice. British Veterinary Association.

Conservation of indigenous cattle genetic resources in Southern Africa’s smallholder areas: turning threats into opportunities — A review

PubMed Central

Nyamushamba, G. B.; Mapiye, C.; Tada, O.; Halimani, T. E.; Muchenje, V.

2017-01-01

The current review focuses on characterization and conservation efforts vital for the development of breeding programmes for indigenous beef cattle genetic resources in Southern Africa. Indigenous African cattle breeds were identified and characterized using information from refereed journals, conference papers and research reports. Results of this current review reviewed that smallholder beef cattle production in Southern Africa is extensive and dominated by indigenous beef cattle strains adaptable to the local environment. The breeds include Nguni, Mashona, Tuli, Malawi Zebu, Bovino de Tete, Angoni, Landim, Barotse, Twsana and Ankole. These breeds have important functions ranging from provision of food and income to socio-economic, cultural and ecological roles. They also have adaptive traits ranging from drought tolerant, resistance to ticks and tick borne diseases, heat tolerance and resistance to trypanosomosis. Stakeholders in the conservation of beef cattle were also identified and they included farmers, national government, research institutes and universities as well as breeding companies and societies in Southern Africa. Research efforts made to evaluate threats and opportunities of indigenous beef cattle production systems, assess the contribution of indigenous cattle to household food security and income, genetically and phenotypically characterize and conserve indigenous breeds, and develop breeding programs for smallholder beef production are highlighted. Although smallholder beef cattle production in the smallholder farming systems contributes substantially to household food security and income, their productivity is hindered by several constraints that include high prevalence of diseases and parasites, limited feed availability and poor marketing. The majority of the African cattle populations remain largely uncharacterized although most of the indigenous cattle breeds have been identified. PMID:27004814

Development and review of the voluntary phase of a national BVD eradication programme in Ireland.

PubMed

Graham, D A; Lynch, M; Coughlan, S; Doherty, M L; O'Neill, R; Sammin, D; O'Flaherty, J

2014-01-18

The voluntary phase of an industry-led national Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) eradication programme began in Ireland on January 1, 2012 with the goal of progressing to a compulsory programme in 2013. The development and implementation of the programme in 2012 was informed by a review of current and prior eradication programmes elsewhere in Europe and extensive stakeholder consultation. The programme was based on tissue tag testing of newborn calves in participating herds, with the status of the mothers of calves with positive or inconclusive results requiring clarification. Participating herd owners were required to comply with a series of guidelines, including not selling cattle suspected of being persistently infected. For herds compliant with the guidelines, the results from 2012 counted as one of three years of tag testing anticipated in the compulsory phase of the programme. Testing was carried out in laboratories designated for this purpose by the cross-industry BVD Implementation Group that oversees the programme. Results were reported to a central database managed by the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation, and the majority of results were reported to farmers' mobile telephones by SMS message. A detailed review of the programme was conducted, encompassing the period between January 1, 2012 and July 15, 2012, based on results from approximately 500,000 calves. This paper describes the establishment and structure of the programme, and the outcomes of the review, including findings at herd and animal level.

Transcript-specific, single-nucleotide polymorphism discovery and linkage analysis in hexaploid bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

PubMed

Allen, Alexandra M; Barker, Gary L A; Berry, Simon T; Coghill, Jane A; Gwilliam, Rhian; Kirby, Susan; Robinson, Phil; Brenchley, Rachel C; D'Amore, Rosalinda; McKenzie, Neil; Waite, Darren; Hall, Anthony; Bevan, Michael; Hall, Neil; Edwards, Keith J

2011-12-01

Food security is a global concern and substantial yield increases in cereal crops are required to feed the growing world population. Wheat is one of the three most important crops for human and livestock feed. However, the complexity of the genome coupled with a decline in genetic diversity within modern elite cultivars has hindered the application of marker-assisted selection (MAS) in breeding programmes. A crucial step in the successful application of MAS in breeding programmes is the development of cheap and easy to use molecular markers, such as single-nucleotide polymorphisms. To mine selected elite wheat germplasm for intervarietal single-nucleotide polymorphisms, we have used expressed sequence tags derived from public sequencing programmes and next-generation sequencing of normalized wheat complementary DNA libraries, in combination with a novel sequence alignment and assembly approach. Here, we describe the development and validation of a panel of 1114 single-nucleotide polymorphisms in hexaploid bread wheat using competitive allele-specific polymerase chain reaction genotyping technology. We report the genotyping results of these markers on 23 wheat varieties, selected to represent a broad cross-section of wheat germplasm including a number of elite UK varieties. Finally, we show that, using relatively simple technology, it is possible to rapidly generate a linkage map containing several hundred single-nucleotide polymorphism markers in the doubled haploid mapping population of Avalon × Cadenza. © 2011 The Authors. Plant Biotechnology Journal © 2011 Society for Experimental Biology, Association of Applied Biologists and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

A Multi-Breed Genome-Wide Association Analysis for Canine Hypothyroidism Identifies a Shared Major Risk Locus on CFA12.

PubMed

Bianchi, Matteo; Dahlgren, Stina; Massey, Jonathan; Dietschi, Elisabeth; Kierczak, Marcin; Lund-Ziener, Martine; Sundberg, Katarina; Thoresen, Stein Istre; Kämpe, Olle; Andersson, Göran; Ollier, William E R; Hedhammar, Åke; Leeb, Tosso; Lindblad-Toh, Kerstin; Kennedy, Lorna J; Lingaas, Frode; Rosengren Pielberg, Gerli

2015-01-01

Hypothyroidism is a complex clinical condition found in both humans and dogs, thought to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. In this study we present a multi-breed analysis of predisposing genetic risk factors for hypothyroidism in dogs using three high-risk breeds--the Gordon Setter, Hovawart and the Rhodesian Ridgeback. Using a genome-wide association approach and meta-analysis, we identified a major hypothyroidism risk locus shared by these breeds on chromosome 12 (p = 2.1x10(-11)). Further characterisation of the candidate region revealed a shared ~167 kb risk haplotype (4,915,018-5,081,823 bp), tagged by two SNPs in almost complete linkage disequilibrium. This breed-shared risk haplotype includes three genes (LHFPL5, SRPK1 and SLC26A8) and does not extend to the dog leukocyte antigen (DLA) class II gene cluster located in the vicinity. These three genes have not been identified as candidate genes for hypothyroid disease previously, but have functions that could potentially contribute to the development of the disease. Our results implicate the potential involvement of novel genes and pathways for the development of canine hypothyroidism, raising new possibilities for screening, breeding programmes and treatments in dogs. This study may also contribute to our understanding of the genetic etiology of human hypothyroid disease, which is one of the most common endocrine disorders in humans.

Seasonality in oestrus and litter size in an assistance dog breeding colony in the United Kingdom.

PubMed

Wigham, Eleanor E; Moxon, Rachel S; England, Gary C W; Wood, James L N; Morters, Michelle K

2017-10-07

Evidence of seasonality in oestrus in bitches within specialist breeding programmes, such as those for assistance dogs, may support colony management through tailoring the distribution of resources required for breeding throughout the year. However, at present there are conflicting data regarding seasonality in oestrus (and litter size) in domestic dogs. The primary objective of this study was to investigate seasonal variations in oestrus and litter size in a large assistance dog breeding colony in the UK in order to optimise colony management. The authors analysed the annual distribution of 3624 observations of oestrus collected from 568 brood bitches from January 2005 to June 2014. The authors also evaluated the relationship between month and litter size for 1609 litters observed during the same period. There was no evidence of regular seasonal variations in oestrus or litter size by meteorological season or month. The lack of seasonality in oestrus may be a function of dogs in the UK, particularly valuable breeding bitches, being exposed to fairly constant environmental conditions throughout the year as a consequence of artificial light and heating during the winter months. The authors' findings suggest that special consideration of the annual distribution of oestrus and litter size is unnecessary for the management of assistance dog breeding colonies similar to those in the UK. © British Veterinary Association (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Infection dynamics of pandemic 2009 H1N1 influenza virus in a two-site swine herd.

PubMed

Allerson, M W; Davies, P R; Gramer, M R; Torremorell, M

2014-12-01

Influenza A viruses are common causes of respiratory disease in pigs and can be transmitted among multiple host species, including humans. The current lack of published information on infection dynamics of influenza viruses within swine herds hinders the ability to make informed animal health, biosecurity and surveillance programme decisions. The objectives of this serial cross-sectional study were to describe the infection dynamics of influenza virus in a two-site swine system by estimating the prevalence of influenza virus in animal subpopulations at the swine breeding herd and describing the temporal pattern of infection in a selected cohort of growing pigs weaned from the breeding herd. Nasal swab and blood samples were collected at approximately 30-day intervals from the swine breeding herd (Site 1) known to be infected with pandemic 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. Sows, gilts and neonatal pigs were sampled at each sampling event, and samples were tested for influenza virus genome using matrix gene RRT-PCR. Influenza virus was detected in neonatal pigs, but was not detected in sow or gilt populations via RRT-PCR. A virus genetically similar to that detected in the neonatal pig population at Site 1 was also detected at the wean-to-finish site (Site 2), presumably following transportation of infected weaned pigs. Longitudinal sampling of nasal swabs and oral fluids revealed that influenza virus persisted in the growing pigs at Site 2 for at least 69 days. The occurrence of influenza virus in neonatal pigs, but not breeding females, at Site 1 emphasizes the potential for virus maintenance in this dynamic subpopulation, the importance of including this subpopulation in surveillance programmes and the potential transport of influenza virus between sites via the movement of weaned pigs. © 2013 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Predicting Flowering Behavior and Exploring Its Genetic Determinism in an Apple Multi-family Population Based on Statistical Indices and Simplified Phenotyping.

PubMed

Durand, Jean-Baptiste; Allard, Alix; Guitton, Baptiste; van de Weg, Eric; Bink, Marco C A M; Costes, Evelyne

2017-01-01

Irregular flowering over years is commonly observed in fruit trees. The early prediction of tree behavior is highly desirable in breeding programmes. This study aims at performing such predictions, combining simplified phenotyping and statistics methods. Sequences of vegetative vs. floral annual shoots (AS) were observed along axes in trees belonging to five apple related full-sib families. Sequences were analyzed using Markovian and linear mixed models including year and site effects. Indices of flowering irregularity, periodicity and synchronicity were estimated, at tree and axis scales. They were used to predict tree behavior and detect QTL with a Bayesian pedigree-based analysis, using an integrated genetic map containing 6,849 SNPs. The combination of a Biennial Bearing Index (BBI) with an autoregressive coefficient (γ g ) efficiently predicted and classified the genotype behaviors, despite few misclassifications. Four QTLs common to BBIs and γ g and one for synchronicity were highlighted and revealed the complex genetic architecture of the traits. Irregularity resulted from high AS synchronism, whereas regularity resulted from either asynchronous locally alternating or continual regular AS flowering. A relevant and time-saving method, based on a posteriori sampling of axes and statistical indices is proposed, which is efficient to evaluate the tree breeding values for flowering regularity and could be transferred to other species.

Genetically engineered orange petunias on the market.

PubMed

Bashandy, Hany; Teeri, Teemu H

2017-08-01

Unauthorized genetically engineered orange petunias were found on the market. Genetic engineering of petunia was shown to lead to novel flower color some 20 years ago. Here we show that petunia lines with orange flowers, generated for scientific purposes, apparently found their way to petunia breeding programmes, intentionally or unintentionally. Today they are widely available, but have not been registered for commerce.

DEMO port plug design and integration studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grossetti, G.; Boccaccini, L. V.; Cismondi, F.; Del Nevo, A.; Fischer, U.; Franke, T.; Granucci, G.; Hernández, F.; Mozzillo, R.; Strauß, D.; Tran, M. Q.; Vaccaro, A.; Villari, R.

2017-11-01

The EUROfusion Consortium established in 2014 and composed by European Fusion Laboratories, and in particular the Power Plant Physics and Technology department aims to develop a conceptual design for the Fusion DEMOnstration Power Plant, DEMO. With respect to present experimental machines and ITER, the main goals of DEMO are to produce electricity continuously for a period of about 2 h, with a net electrical power output of a few hundreds of MW, and to allow tritium self-sufficient breeding with an adequately high margin in order to guarantee its planned operational schedule, including all planned maintenance intervals. This will eliminate the need to import tritium fuel from external sources during operations. In order to achieve these goals, extensive engineering efforts as well as physics studies are required to develop a design that can ensure a high level of plant reliability and availability. In particular, interfaces between systems must be addressed at a very early phase of the project, in order to proceed consistently. In this paper we present a preliminary design and integration study, based on physics assessments for the EU DEMO1 Baseline 2015 with an aspect ratio of 3.1 and 18 toroidal field coils, for the DEMO port plugs. These aim to host systems like electron cyclotron heating launchers currently developed within the Work Package Heating and Current Drive that need an external radial access to the plasma and through in-vessel systems like the breeder blanket. A similar approach shown here could be in principle followed by other systems, e.g. other heating and current drive systems or diagnostics. The work addresses the interfaces between the port plug and the blanket considering the helium-cooled pebble bed and the water cooled lithium lead which are two of four breeding blanket concepts under investigation in Europe within the Power Plant Physics and Technology Programme: the required openings will be evaluated in terms of their impact onto the blanket segments thermo-mechanical and nuclear design considering mechanical integration aspects but also their impact on tritium breeding ratio. Since DEMO is still in a pre-conceptual phase, the same methodology is applicable to the other two blanket concepts, as well.

Genomic selection in forage breeding: designing an estimation population

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The benefits of genomic selection to livestock, crops and forest tree breeding can be extended to forage grasses and legumes. The main benefits expected are increased selection accuracy and reduced costs per unit of genotype evaluated and breeding cycle length. Aiming at designing a training populat...

Prion protein genotype survey confirms low frequency of scrapie-resistant K222 allele in British goat herds.

PubMed

Goldmann, W; Marier, E; Stewart, P; Konold, T; Street, S; Langeveld, J; Windl, O; Ortiz-Pelaez, A

2016-02-13

Scrapie in goats is a transmissible, fatal prion disease, which is endemic in the British goat population. The recent success in defining caprine PRNP gene variants that provide resistance to experimental and natural classical scrapie has prompted the authors to conduct a survey of PRNP genotypes in 10 goat breeds and 52 herds to find goats with the resistant K222 allele. They report here the frequencies in 1236 tested animals of the resistance-associated K222 and several other alleles by breed and herd. Eight animals were found to be heterozygous QK222 goats (0.64 per cent genotype frequency, 95 per cent CI 0.28 to 1.27 per cent) but no homozygous KK222 goats were detected. The K222 allele was found in Saanen, Toggenburg and Anglo-Nubian goats. The fact that only a few goats with the K222 allele have been identified does not preclude the possibility to design and implement successful breeding programmes at national level. British Veterinary Association.

Hybrid breeding in wheat: technologies to improve hybrid wheat seed production.

PubMed

Whitford, Ryan; Fleury, Delphine; Reif, Jochen C; Garcia, Melissa; Okada, Takashi; Korzun, Viktor; Langridge, Peter

2013-12-01

Global food security demands the development and delivery of new technologies to increase and secure cereal production on finite arable land without increasing water and fertilizer use. There are several options for boosting wheat yields, but most offer only small yield increases. Wheat is an inbred plant, and hybrids hold the potential to deliver a major lift in yield and will open a wide range of new breeding opportunities. A series of technological advances are needed as a base for hybrid wheat programmes. These start with major changes in floral development and architecture to separate the sexes and force outcrossing. Male sterility provides the best method to block self-fertilization, and modifying the flower structure will enhance pollen access. The recent explosion in genomic resources and technologies provides new opportunities to overcome these limitations. This review outlines the problems with existing hybrid wheat breeding systems and explores molecular-based technologies that could improve the hybrid production system to reduce hybrid seed production costs, a prerequisite for a commercial hybrid wheat system.

Obesity in show cats.

PubMed

Corbee, R J

2014-12-01

Obesity is an important disease with a high prevalence in cats. Because obesity is related to several other diseases, it is important to identify the population at risk. Several risk factors for obesity have been described in the literature. A higher incidence of obesity in certain cat breeds has been suggested. The aim of this study was to determine whether obesity occurs more often in certain breeds. The second aim was to relate the increased prevalence of obesity in certain breeds to the official standards of that breed. To this end, 268 cats of 22 different breeds investigated by determining their body condition score (BCS) on a nine-point scale by inspection and palpation, at two different cat shows. Overall, 45.5% of the show cats had a BCS > 5, and 4.5% of the show cats had a BCS > 7. There were significant differences between breeds, which could be related to the breed standards. Most overweight and obese cats were in the neutered group. It warrants firm discussions with breeders and cat show judges to come to different interpretations of the standards in order to prevent overweight conditions in certain breeds from being the standard of beauty. Neutering predisposes for obesity and requires early nutritional intervention to prevent obese conditions. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition © 2014 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Isolation and characterization of microsatellite markers in Acca sellowiana (Berg) Burret.

PubMed

Santos, K L; Santos, M O; Laborda, P R; Souza, A P; Peroni, N; Nodari, R O

2008-09-01

Acca sellowiana has commercial potential due to the quality and the unique flavor of its fruit. Conservation of natural populations and management of breeding programmes would benefit from the availability of molecular markers that could be used to characterize levels and distribution of genetic variability. Thus, 13 microsatellite markers were developed from an enriched genomic library of A. sellowiana. They were characterized using 40 samples. The expected and observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.513 to 0.913 and from 0.200 to 0.889, respectively. These are the first microsatellite loci characterized from A. sellowiana that will contribute to improve researches on its genetic conservation, characterization and breeding. © 2008 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2008 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Isolation and characterization of microsatellite markers in Acca sellowiana (Berg) Burret.

PubMed

Santos, K L; Santos, M O; Laborda, P R; Souza, A P; Peroni, N; Nodari, R O

2008-11-01

Acca sellowiana has commercial potential because of the quality and the unique flavor of its fruit. Conservation of natural populations and management of breeding programmes would benefit from the availability of molecular markers that could be used to characterize levels and distribution of genetic variability. Thus, 13 microsatellite markers were developed from an enriched genomic library of A. sellowiana. They were characterized using 40 samples. The expected and observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.513 to 0.913 and from 0.200 to 0.889, respectively. These are the first microsatellite loci characterized from A. sellowiana that will contribute to improve researches on the genetic conservation, characterization and breeding. Journal compilation © 2008 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. No claim to original US government works.

Comparative study of growth traits and haematological parameters of Anak and Nigerian heavy ecotype chickens fed with graded levels of mango seed kernel (Mangifera indica) meal.

PubMed

Mbunwen, Ndofor-Foleng Harriet; Ngongeh, Lucas Atehmengo; Okolie, Peter Nzeribe; Okoli, Emeka Linus

2015-08-01

One hundred fifty Anak and 120 Nigerian heavy local ecotype (NHLE) chickens were used to study the effects of feeding graded levels of mango seed kernel meal (MKM) replacing maize diet on growth traits and haematological parameters. A 2 × 5 factorial arrangement was employed: two breeds and five diets. The birds were randomly allocated to five finisher diets formulated such that MKM replaced maize at 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40% (T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5) inclusion levels, respectively. The effect of breed and dietary treatments on growth performance and blood characteristics were determined. The results showed a significant (P < 0.05) breed effect on body weight and gain, shank length, thigh length, body width and body length. The growth traits of Anak breed were found to be superior to NHLE chickens. Within treatments, chicks on T1, T2 and T3, grew heavier than those on T4 and T5. However, feed intake, feed conversion ratio (FCR) and haematological indices (RBC, Hb, MCV, MCH and MCHC count) were not significant (P > 0.05) when the breeds and treatments were compared. It was concluded that inclusion of dietary MKM below 30% could replace maize in the diets of Anak and NHLE growing chickens without adverse effect on growth performance and blood constituents. This work suggests that genetic differences exist in growth traits of these breeds of chickens. This advantage could be useful in breed improvement programmes and better feeding managements of the NHLE and Anak chickens.

Testicular feminization in the Finnish racoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides).

PubMed

Smith, A; Nes, N; Berg, K A; Valtonen, M; Mäkinen, A; Lukola, A

1983-12-01

The clinical features of testicular feminization in the racoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) are reported. The condition is characterized by a normal male karyotype, but a mixed phenotype consisting of vulva, enlarged clitoris and scrotal testes. Partial spermatogenesis with a relative arrest at the first meiotic division was observed. The likely underlying genetic defect and mode of inheritance are discussed, together with implications for breeding programmes.

There is room for selection in a small local pig breed when using optimum contribution selection: a simulation study.

PubMed

Gourdine, J L; Sørensen, A C; Rydhmer, L

2012-01-01

Selection progress must be carefully balanced against the conservation of genetic variation in small populations of local breeds. Well-defined breeding programs with specified selection traits are rare in local pig breeds. Given the small population size, the focus is often on the management of genetic diversity. However, in local breeds, optimum contribution selection can be applied to control the rate of inbreeding and to avoid reduced performance in traits with high market value. The aim of this study was to assess the extent to which a breeding program aiming for improved product quality in a small local breed would be feasible. We used stochastic simulations to compare 25 scenarios. The scenarios differed in size of population, selection intensity of boars, type of selection (random selection, truncation selection based on BLUP breeding values, or optimum contribution selection based on BLUP breeding values), and heritability of the selection trait. It was assumed that the local breed is used in an extensive system for a high-meat-quality market. The simulations showed that in the smallest population (300 female reproducers), inbreeding increased by 0.8% when selection was performed at random. With optimum contribution selection, genetic progress can be achieved that is almost as great as that with truncation selection based on BLUP breeding values (0.2 to 0.5 vs. 0.3 to 0.5 genetic SD, P < 0.05), but at a considerably decreased rate of inbreeding (0.7 to 1.2 vs. 2.3 to 5.7%, P < 0.01). This confirmation of the potential utilization of OCS even in small populations is important in the context of sustainable management and the use of animal genetic resources.

Cattle phenotypes can disguise their maternal ancestry.

PubMed

Srirattana, Kanokwan; McCosker, Kieren; Schatz, Tim; St John, Justin C

2017-06-26

Cattle are bred for, amongst other factors, specific traits, including parasite resistance and adaptation to climate. However, the influence and inheritance of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are not usually considered in breeding programmes. In this study, we analysed the mtDNA profiles of cattle from Victoria (VIC), southern Australia, which is a temperate climate, and the Northern Territory (NT), the northern part of Australia, which has a tropical climate, to determine if the mtDNA profiles of these cattle are indicative of breed and phenotype, and whether these profiles are appropriate for their environments. A phylogenetic tree of the full mtDNA sequences of different breeds of cattle, which were obtained from the NCBI database, showed that the mtDNA profiles of cattle do not always reflect their phenotype as some cattle with Bos taurus phenotypes had Bos indicus mtDNA, whilst some cattle with Bos indicus phenotypes had Bos taurus mtDNA. Using D-loop sequencing, we were able to contrast the phenotypes and mtDNA profiles from different species of cattle from the 2 distinct cattle breeding regions of Australia. We found that 67 of the 121 cattle with Bos indicus phenotypes from NT (55.4%) had Bos taurus mtDNA. In VIC, 92 of the 225 cattle with Bos taurus phenotypes (40.9%) possessed Bos indicus mtDNA. When focusing on oocytes from cattle with the Bos taurus phenotype in VIC, their respective oocytes with Bos indicus mtDNA had significantly lower levels of mtDNA copy number compared with oocytes possessing Bos taurus mtDNA (P < 0.01). However, embryos derived from oocytes with Bos indicus mtDNA had the same ability to develop to the blastocyst stage and the levels of mtDNA copy number in their blastocysts were similar to blastocysts derived from oocytes harbouring Bos taurus mtDNA. Nevertheless, oocytes originating from the Bos indicus phenotype exhibited lower developmental potential due to low mtDNA copy number when compared with oocytes from cattle with a Bos taurus phenotype. The phenotype of cattle is not always related to their mtDNA profiles. MtDNA profiles should be considered for breeding programmes as they also influence phenotypic traits and reproductive capacity in terms of oocyte quality.

Earth observation in support of malaria control and epidemiology: MALAREO monitoring approaches.

PubMed

Franke, Jonas; Gebreslasie, Michael; Bauwens, Ides; Deleu, Julie; Siegert, Florian

2015-06-03

Malaria affects about half of the world's population, with the vast majority of cases occuring in Africa. National malaria control programmes aim to reduce the burden of malaria and its negative, socioeconomic effects by using various control strategies (e.g. vector control, environmental management and case tracking). Vector control is the most effective transmission prevention strategy, while environmental factors are the key parameters affecting transmission. Geographic information systems (GIS), earth observation (EO) and spatial modelling are increasingly being recognised as valuable tools for effective management and malaria vector control. Issues previously inhibiting the use of EO in epidemiology and malaria control such as poor satellite sensor performance, high costs and long turnaround times, have since been resolved through modern technology. The core goal of this study was to develop and implement the capabilities of EO data for national malaria control programmes in South Africa, Swaziland and Mozambique. High- and very high resolution (HR and VHR) land cover and wetland maps were generated for the identification of potential vector habitats and human activities, as well as geoinformation on distance to wetlands for malaria risk modelling, population density maps, habitat foci maps and VHR household maps. These products were further used for modelling malaria incidence and the analysis of environmental factors that favour vector breeding. Geoproducts were also transferred to the staff of national malaria control programmes in seven African countries to demonstrate how EO data and GIS can support vector control strategy planning and monitoring. The transferred EO products support better epidemiological understanding of environmental factors related to malaria transmission, and allow for spatio-temporal targeting of malaria control interventions, thereby improving the cost-effectiveness of interventions.

Breeding objectives for pigs in Kenya. II: economic values incorporating risks in different smallholder production systems.

PubMed

Mbuthia, Jackson Mwenda; Rewe, Thomas Odiwuor; Kahi, Alexander Kigunzu

2015-02-01

This study estimated economic values for production traits (dressing percentage (DP), %; live weight for growers (LWg), kg; live weight for sows (LWs), kg) and functional traits (feed intake for growers (FEEDg), feed intake for sow (FEEDs), preweaning survival rate (PrSR), %; postweaning survival (PoSR), %; sow survival rate (SoSR), %, total number of piglets born (TNB) and farrowing interval (FI), days) under different smallholder pig production systems in Kenya. Economic values were estimated considering two production circumstances: fixed-herd and fixed-feed. Under the fixed-herd scenario, economic values were estimated assuming a situation where the herd cannot be increased due to other constraints apart from feed resources. The fixed-feed input scenario assumed that the herd size is restricted by limitation of feed resources available. In addition to the tradition profit model, a risk-rated bio-economic model was used to derive risk-rated economic values. This model accounted for imperfect knowledge concerning risk attitude of farmers and variance of input and output prices. Positive economic values obtained for traits DP, LWg, LWs, PoSR, PrSR, SoSR and TNB indicate that targeting them in improvement would positively impact profitability in pig breeding programmes. Under the fixed-feed basis, the risk-rated economic values for DP, LWg, LWs and SoSR were similar to those obtained under the fixed-herd situation. Accounting for risks in the EVs did not yield errors greater than ±50 % in all the production systems and basis of evaluation meaning there would be relatively little effect on the real genetic gain of a selection index. Therefore, both traditional and risk-rated models can be satisfactorily used to predict profitability in pig breeding programmes.

Genomic Insights into Cardiomyopathies: A Comparative Cross-Species Review

PubMed Central

Simpson, Siobhan; Rutland, Paul; Rutland, Catrin Sian

2017-01-01

In the global human population, the leading cause of non-communicable death is cardiovascular disease. It is predicted that by 2030, deaths attributable to cardiovascular disease will have risen to over 20 million per year. This review compares the cardiomyopathies in both human and non-human animals and identifies the genetic associations for each disorder in each species/taxonomic group. Despite differences between species, advances in human medicine can be gained by utilising animal models of cardiac disease; likewise, gains can be made in animal medicine from human genomic insights. Advances could include undertaking regular clinical checks in individuals susceptible to cardiomyopathy, genetic testing prior to breeding, and careful administration of breeding programmes (in non-human animals), further development of treatment regimes, and drugs and diagnostic techniques. PMID:29056678

Prevalence of diagnostic characteristics indicating canine autoimmune lymphocytic thyroiditis in giant schnauzer and hovawart dogs.

PubMed

Ferm, K; Björnerfeldt, S; Karlsson, A; Andersson, G; Nachreiner, R; Hedhammar, A

2009-04-01

To investigate prevalence of autoantibodies to thyroglobulin (TgAA) and/or elevated levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), indicating canine autoimmune lymphocytic thyroiditis (CLT) and/or hypothyroidism, in two high-risk dog breeds. A cohort study was conducted in two birth cohorts of giant schnauzer and hovawart dogs. The cohorts were three to four and six to seven years of age at the time of blood sampling and screening for TgAA and TSH levels. Blood sampling was accompanied by one initial and one follow-up questionnaire to the dog owners. A total number of 236 giant schnauzers and 95 hovawarts were included in the study. Seventeen (7.2 per cent) giant schnauzers and three (3.2 per cent) hovawarts had been diagnosed as hypothyroid at the time of sampling. Out of the remaining dogs, 22 giant schnauzers (10.0 per cent) and nine hovawarts (10.1 per cent) had elevated TgAA and/or TSH levels. Prevalence of elevated TgAA and TSH levels varied with age. The high prevalence of diagnostic characteristics indicating CLT/hypothyroidism in these two breeds suggests a strong genetic predisposition. It would be advisable to screen potential breeding stock for TSH and TgAA as a basis for genetic health programmes to reduce prevalence of CLT in these breeds.

Novel SNPs of the bovine NUCB2 gene and their association with growth traits in three native Chinese cattle breeds.

PubMed

Li, F; Chen, H; Lei, C Z; Ren, G; Wang, J; Li, Z J; Wang, J Q

2010-01-01

In this study, polymorphism in the exon 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 of bovine NUCB2 gene was detected by PCR-SSCP and DNA sequencing methods in 686 individuals from three Chinese cattle breeds. Two haplotypes (M and N), three observed genotypes (MM, MN and NN) and two SNPs (NC_007313: g. 27451G>A, NC_007313: g. 27472T>C) were detected. The frequencies of haplotypes M and N in inland Chinese three breeds were 0.531-0.721 and 0.279-0.469 respectively. The studied showed that Nanyang, Jiaxian Red and Qinchuan cattle populations were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium at SNPs locus of NUCB2 gene (P > 0.05). Polymorphism of the NUCB2 gene was shown to be associated with growth traits in Qingchuan and Nanyang cattle breed. The linkage of two mutant sites in the bovine NUCB2 gene had significant effects on body length, body weight, heart girth, and average daily gain at 24 months (P < 0.05). Results of this study suggested that the NUCB2-gene-specific SNP may be a useful marker for growth traits in future marker-assisted selection programmes in inland Chinese cattle.

Insights to plant-microbe interactions provide opportunities to improve resistance breeding against root diseases in grain legumes.

PubMed

Wille, Lukas; Messmer, Monika M; Studer, Bruno; Hohmann, Pierre

2018-04-12

Root and foot diseases severely impede grain legume cultivation worldwide. Breeding lines with resistance against individual pathogens exist, but these resistances are often overcome by the interaction of multiple pathogens in field situations. Novel tools allow to decipher plant-microbiome interactions in unprecedented detail and provide insights into resistance mechanisms that consider both simultaneous attacks of various pathogens and the interplay with beneficial microbes. Although it has become clear that plant-associated microbes play a key role in plant health, a systematic picture of how and to what extend plants can shape their own detrimental or beneficial microbiome remains to be drawn. There is increasing evidence for the existence of genetic variation in the regulation of plant-microbe interactions that can be exploited by plant breeders. We propose to consider the entire plant holobiont in resistance breeding strategies in order to unravel hidden parts of complex defence mechanisms. This review summarises (i) the current knowledge of resistance against soil-borne pathogens in grain legumes, (ii) evidence for genetic variation for rhizosphere-related traits, (iii) the role of root exudation in microbe-mediated disease resistance and elaborates (iv) how these traits can be incorporated in resistance breeding programmes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Increased genomic prediction accuracy in wheat breeding using a large Australian panel.

PubMed

Norman, Adam; Taylor, Julian; Tanaka, Emi; Telfer, Paul; Edwards, James; Martinant, Jean-Pierre; Kuchel, Haydn

2017-12-01

Genomic prediction accuracy within a large panel was found to be substantially higher than that previously observed in smaller populations, and also higher than QTL-based prediction. In recent years, genomic selection for wheat breeding has been widely studied, but this has typically been restricted to population sizes under 1000 individuals. To assess its efficacy in germplasm representative of commercial breeding programmes, we used a panel of 10,375 Australian wheat breeding lines to investigate the accuracy of genomic prediction for grain yield, physical grain quality and other physiological traits. To achieve this, the complete panel was phenotyped in a dedicated field trial and genotyped using a custom Axiom TM Affymetrix SNP array. A high-quality consensus map was also constructed, allowing the linkage disequilibrium present in the germplasm to be investigated. Using the complete SNP array, genomic prediction accuracies were found to be substantially higher than those previously observed in smaller populations and also more accurate compared to prediction approaches using a finite number of selected quantitative trait loci. Multi-trait genetic correlations were also assessed at an additive and residual genetic level, identifying a negative genetic correlation between grain yield and protein as well as a positive genetic correlation between grain size and test weight.

The history of sturgeon in the Baltic Sea

USGS Publications Warehouse

Popovic, Danijela; Panagiotopoulou, Hanna; Baca, Mateusz; Stefaniak, Krzysztof; Mackiewicz, Pawel; Makowiecki, Daniel; King, Tim L.; Gruchota, Jakub; Weglenski, Piotr; Stankovic, Anna

2014-01-01

For the past 2000 years at least, A. o. oxyrinchus has been the dominant sturgeon in the Baltic Sea, indicating a much earlier origin than previously suggested. The most similar extant sturgeon populations to the extinct Baltic stock are those from the St John and St Lawrence rivers in Canada. These populations should be considered the best source of breeding material for the ongoing sturgeon restitution programmes in Poland and Germany.

New traits in crops produced by genome editing techniques based on deletions.

PubMed

van de Wiel, C C M; Schaart, J G; Lotz, L A P; Smulders, M J M

2017-01-01

One of the most promising New Plant Breeding Techniques is genome editing (also called gene editing) with the help of a programmable site-directed nuclease (SDN). In this review, we focus on SDN-1, which is the generation of small deletions or insertions (indels) at a precisely defined location in the genome with zinc finger nucleases (ZFN), TALENs, or CRISPR-Cas9. The programmable nuclease is used to induce a double-strand break in the DNA, while the repair is left to the plant cell itself, and mistakes are introduced, while the cell is repairing the double-strand break using the relatively error-prone NHEJ pathway. From a biological point of view, it could be considered as a form of targeted mutagenesis. We first discuss improvements and new technical variants for SDN-1, in particular employing CRISPR-Cas, and subsequently explore the effectiveness of targeted deletions that eliminate the function of a gene, as an approach to generate novel traits useful for improving agricultural sustainability, including disease resistances. We compare them with examples of deletions that resulted in novel functionality as known from crop domestication and classical mutation breeding (both using radiation and chemical mutagens). Finally, we touch upon regulatory and access and benefit sharing issues regarding the plants produced.

The importance of key floral bioactive compounds to honey bees for the detection and attraction of hybrid vegetable crops and increased seed yield.

PubMed

Mas, Flore; Harper, Aimee; Horner, Rachael; Welsh, Taylor; Jaksons, Peter; Suckling, David M

2018-02-15

Crop breeding programmes generally select for traits for improved yield and human consumption preferences. Yet, they often overlook one fundamental trait essential for insect-pollinated crops: pollinator attraction. This is even more critical for hybrid plants that rely on cross-pollination between the male-fertile line and the male-sterile line to set seeds. This study investigated the role of floral odours for honey bee pollination that could explain the poor seed yield in hybrid crops. The key floral bioactive compounds that honey bees detect were identified for three vegetable hybrid crops. It was found that 30% of the variation in bioactive compound quantities was explained by variety. Differences in quantities of the bioactive compounds triggered different degrees of olfactory response and were also associated with varied appetitive response. Correlating the abundance of each bioactive compound with seed yield, it was found that aldehydes such as nonanal and decanal can have a strong negative influence on seed yield with increasing quantity. Using these methodologies to identify relevant bioactive compounds associated with honey bee pollination, plant breeding programmes should also consider selecting for floral traits attractive to honey bees to improve crop pollination for enhanced seed yield. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

A Multi-Breed Genome-Wide Association Analysis for Canine Hypothyroidism Identifies a Shared Major Risk Locus on CFA12

PubMed Central

Massey, Jonathan; Dietschi, Elisabeth; Kierczak, Marcin; Lund-Ziener, Martine; Sundberg, Katarina; Thoresen, Stein Istre; Kämpe, Olle; Andersson, Göran; Ollier, William E. R.; Hedhammar, Åke; Leeb, Tosso; Lindblad-Toh, Kerstin; Kennedy, Lorna J.; Lingaas, Frode; Rosengren Pielberg, Gerli

2015-01-01

Hypothyroidism is a complex clinical condition found in both humans and dogs, thought to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. In this study we present a multi-breed analysis of predisposing genetic risk factors for hypothyroidism in dogs using three high-risk breeds—the Gordon Setter, Hovawart and the Rhodesian Ridgeback. Using a genome-wide association approach and meta-analysis, we identified a major hypothyroidism risk locus shared by these breeds on chromosome 12 (p = 2.1x10-11). Further characterisation of the candidate region revealed a shared ~167 kb risk haplotype (4,915,018–5,081,823 bp), tagged by two SNPs in almost complete linkage disequilibrium. This breed-shared risk haplotype includes three genes (LHFPL5, SRPK1 and SLC26A8) and does not extend to the dog leukocyte antigen (DLA) class II gene cluster located in the vicinity. These three genes have not been identified as candidate genes for hypothyroid disease previously, but have functions that could potentially contribute to the development of the disease. Our results implicate the potential involvement of novel genes and pathways for the development of canine hypothyroidism, raising new possibilities for screening, breeding programmes and treatments in dogs. This study may also contribute to our understanding of the genetic etiology of human hypothyroid disease, which is one of the most common endocrine disorders in humans. PMID:26261983

Genomics-assisted breeding for boosting crop improvement in pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan)

PubMed Central

Pazhamala, Lekha; Saxena, Rachit K.; Singh, Vikas K.; Sameerkumar, C. V.; Kumar, Vinay; Sinha, Pallavi; Patel, Kishan; Obala, Jimmy; Kaoneka, Seleman R.; Tongoona, P.; Shimelis, Hussein A.; Gangarao, N. V. P. R.; Odeny, Damaris; Rathore, Abhishek; Dharmaraj, P. S.; Yamini, K. N.; Varshney, Rajeev K.

2015-01-01

Pigeonpea is an important pulse crop grown predominantly in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. Although pigeonpea growing area has considerably increased, yield has remained stagnant for the last six decades mainly due to the exposure of the crop to various biotic and abiotic constraints. In addition, low level of genetic variability and limited genomic resources have been serious impediments to pigeonpea crop improvement through modern breeding approaches. In recent years, however, due to the availability of next generation sequencing and high-throughput genotyping technologies, the scenario has changed tremendously. The reduced sequencing costs resulting in the decoding of the pigeonpea genome has led to the development of various genomic resources including molecular markers, transcript sequences and comprehensive genetic maps. Mapping of some important traits including resistance to Fusarium wilt and sterility mosaic disease, fertility restoration, determinacy with other agronomically important traits have paved the way for applying genomics-assisted breeding (GAB) through marker assisted selection as well as genomic selection (GS). This would accelerate the development and improvement of both varieties and hybrids in pigeonpea. Particularly for hybrid breeding programme, mitochondrial genomes of cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) lines, maintainers and hybrids have been sequenced to identify genes responsible for cytoplasmic male sterility. Furthermore, several diagnostic molecular markers have been developed to assess the purity of commercial hybrids. In summary, pigeonpea has become a genomic resources-rich crop and efforts have already been initiated to integrate these resources in pigeonpea breeding. PMID:25741349

The relationship between post-thaw sperm DNA integrity and non-return rate among Norwegian cross-bred rams.

PubMed

Nordstoga, A B; Krogenæs, A; Nødtvedt, A; Farstad, W; Waterhouse, K

2013-04-01

With the aim of investigating the relationship between sperm DNA integrity and non-return rate (NRR) among Norwegian cross-bred rams, semen from 15 individuals was examined by flow cytometry. Sperm Chromatin Structure Assay (SCSA) quantifies the proportion of spermatozoa with denatured DNA after in situ acid treatment, and the four parameters % DFI, % HDS, MEAN DFI and SD DFI are all different measures of DNA denaturation and maturation. Field fertility, reported as NRR 25 days after insemination was based on all inseminations from a large-scale breeding programme and supplied by the Norwegian Association of Sheep and Goat Farmers. From each ram, four straws from four different weeks of the breeding season were analysed, and the associations between 25-day NRR and the mean of the four SCSA parameters were tested using a logistic regression model. The results revealed no association between fertility and % DFI or % HDS, while SD DFI and MEAN DFI showed a significant negative association with NRR. Further, the SCSA values varied significantly between ejaculates within ram among some of the rams in the study. However, no significant association was seen between these intra-individual differences in sperm DNA integrity and NRR. In conclusion, this study suggests an association between sperm DNA integrity and NRR for rams. However, further research must be conducted to confirm these findings and determine whether sperm DNA assessments can be applied to predict ram fertility. © 2012 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Quantitative Trait Loci for Yield and Yield-Related Traits in Spring Barley Populations Derived from Crosses between European and Syrian Cultivars

PubMed Central

Krystkowiak, Karolina; Sawikowska, Aneta; Frohmberg, Wojciech; Górny, Andrzej; Kędziora, Andrzej; Jankowiak, Janusz; Józefczyk, Damian; Karg, Grzegorz; Andrusiak, Joanna; Krajewski, Paweł; Szarejko, Iwona; Surma, Maria; Adamski, Tadeusz; Guzy-Wróbelska, Justyna; Kuczyńska, Anetta

2016-01-01

In response to climatic changes, breeding programmes should be aimed at creating new cultivars with improved resistance to water scarcity. The objective of this study was to examine the yield potential of barley recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from three cross-combinations of European and Syrian spring cultivars, and to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for yield-related traits in these populations. RILs were evaluated in field experiments over a period of three years (2011 to 2013) and genotyped with simple sequence repeat (SSR) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers; a genetic map for each population was constructed and then one consensus map was developed. Biological interpretation of identified QTLs was achieved by reference to Ensembl Plants barley gene space. Twelve regions in the genomes of studied RILs were distinguished after QTL analysis. Most of the QTLs were identified on the 2H chromosome, which was the hotspot region in all three populations. Syrian parental cultivars contributed alleles decreasing traits' values at majority of QTLs for grain weight, grain number, spike length and time to heading, and numerous alleles increasing stem length. The phenomic and molecular approaches distinguished the lines with an acceptable grain yield potential combining desirable features or alleles from their parents, that is, early heading from the Syrian breeding line (Cam/B1/CI08887//CI05761) and short plant stature from the European semidwarf cultivar (Maresi). PMID:27227880

Prediction of intramuscular fat levels in Texel lamb loins using X-ray computed tomography scanning.

PubMed

Clelland, N; Bunger, L; McLean, K A; Conington, J; Maltin, C; Knott, S; Lambe, N R

2014-10-01

For the consumer, tenderness, juiciness and flavour are often described as the most important factors for meat eating quality, all of which have a close association with intramuscular fat (IMF). X-ray computed tomography (CT) can measure fat, muscle and bone volumes and weights, in vivo in sheep and CT predictions of carcass composition have been used in UK sheep breeding programmes over the last few decades. This study aimed to determine the most accurate combination of CT variables to predict IMF percentage of M. longissimus lumborum in Texel lambs. As expected, predicted carcass fat alone accounted for a moderate amount of the variation (R(2)=0.51) in IMF. Prediction accuracies were significantly improved (Adj R(2)>0.65) using information on fat and muscle densities measured from three CT reference scans, showing that CT can provide an accurate prediction of IMF in the loin of purebred Texel sheep. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Using the choice experiment method in the design of breeding goals in dairy sheep.

PubMed

Ragkos, A; Abas, Z

2015-02-01

Market failures are the main cause of poor acknowledgement of the true impact of functional sheep traits on the management and economic performance of farms, which results in their omission from the breeding goal or the estimation of non-representative economic weights in the breeding goal. Consequently, stated-preference non-market valuation techniques, which recently emerged to mitigate these problems, are necessary to estimate economic weights for functional traits. The purpose of this paper is to present an example of the use of a choice experiment (CE) in the estimation of economic weights for sheep traits for the design of breeding goals. Through a questionnaire survey the preferences of sheep farmers are recorded and their marginal willingness to pay (MWTP) for 10 production and functional traits is estimated. Data are analysed using random parameter logit models. The results reveal unobserved preference heterogeneity for fertility, adaptability to grazing and resistance to disease, thus highlighting that these traits are appreciated differently by farmers, because their needs are diverse. Positive MWTP is found for Greek breeds, high milk production and lambs with low fat deposition, for which there is high demand in Greek markets. On the other hand, MWTP for the cheese-making ability of milk is negative, stemming from the fact that sheep milk prices in Greece are not formulated according to milk composition. In addition, farmers seem to understand differences between udder shapes and attribute different values to various types. This application of the CE method indicates that communication channels among farmers and breeders should be established in order to enhance market performance and to provide orientation to the design of breeding programmes. Non-market valuation can be used complementarily to market valuation techniques, in order to provide accurate estimates for production and functional traits.

Accelerating public sector rice breeding with high-density KASP markers derived from whole genome sequencing of indica rice.

PubMed

Steele, Katherine A; Quinton-Tulloch, Mark J; Amgai, Resham B; Dhakal, Rajeev; Khatiwada, Shambhu P; Vyas, Darshna; Heine, Martin; Witcombe, John R

2018-01-01

Few public sector rice breeders have the capacity to use NGS-derived markers in their breeding programmes despite rapidly expanding repositories of rice genome sequence data. They rely on > 18,000 mapped microsatellites (SSRs) for marker-assisted selection (MAS) using gel analysis. Lack of knowledge about target SNP and InDel variant loci has hampered the uptake by many breeders of Kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP), a proprietary technology of LGC genomics that can distinguish alleles at variant loci. KASP is a cost-effective single-step genotyping technology, cheaper than SSRs and more flexible than genotyping by sequencing (GBS) or array-based genotyping when used in selection programmes. Before this study, there were 2015 rice KASP marker loci in the public domain, mainly identified by array-based screening, leaving large proportions of the rice genome with no KASP coverage. Here we have addressed the urgent need for a wide choice of appropriate rice KASP assays and demonstrated that NGS can detect many more KASP to give full genome coverage. Through re-sequencing of nine indica rice breeding lines or released varieties, this study has identified 2.5 million variant sites. Stringent filtering of variants generated 1.3 million potential KASP assay designs, including 92,500 potential functional markers. This strategy delivers a 650-fold increase in potential selectable KASP markers at a density of 3.1 per 1 kb in the indica crosses analysed and 377,178 polymorphic KASP design sites on average per cross. This knowledge is available to breeders and has been utilised to improve the efficiency of public sector breeding in Nepal, enabling identification of polymorphic KASP at any region or quantitative trait loci in relevant crosses. Validation of 39 new KASP was carried out by genotyping progeny from a range of crosses to show that they detected segregating alleles. The new KASP have replaced SSRs to aid trait selection during marker-assisted backcrossing in these crosses, where target traits include rice blast and BLB resistance loci. Furthermore, we provide the software for plant breeders to generate KASP designs from their own datasets.

An international survey of cerebral palsy registers and surveillance systems

PubMed Central

Goldsmith, Shona; McIntyre, Sarah; Smithers-Sheedy, Hayley; Blair, Eve; Cans, Christine; Watson, Linda; Yeargin-Allsopp, Marshalyn

2016-01-01

AIM To describe cerebral palsy (CP) surveillance programmes and identify similarities and differences in governance and funding, aims and scope, definition, inclusion/exclusion criteria, ascertainment and data collection, to enhance the potential for research collaboration. METHOD Representatives from 38 CP surveillance programmes were invited to participate in an online survey and submit their data collection forms. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize information submitted. RESULTS Twenty-seven surveillance programmes participated (25 functioning registers, two closed owing to lack of funding). Their aims spanned five domains: resource for CP research, surveillance, aetiology/prevention, service planning, and information provision (in descending order of frequency). Published definitions guided decision making for the definition of CP and case eligibility for most programmes. Consent, case identification, and data collection methods varied widely. Ten key data items were collected by all programmes and a further seven by at least 80% of programmes. All programmes reported an interest in research collaboration. INTERPRETATION Despite variability in methodologies, similarities exist across programmes in terms of their aims, definitions, and data collected. These findings will facilitate harmonization of data and collaborative research efforts, which are so necessary on account of the heterogeneity and relatively low prevalence of CP. PMID:26781543

User-programmer dialogue: Guidelines for designing menus and help files for interactive computer systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carlson, P. A.

1983-01-01

This document is a set of guidelines to aid a programmer in making the various decisions necessary for a clear user-programmer dialogue. Its goal is to promote an effective and efficient transfer of information between programmer and user. These guidelines are divided into four sections: (1) Format, (2) Sequence, (3) Audience, and (4) Aim. Format, in terms of this study, means the spatial and structural presentation of information. Sequence deals with the procedural aspects of multiple panel displays. This section looks at the issues of timelines of presentation, modularization of information, and patterns of user behavior. Audience looks at the relationship among programmer, user, and message. It covers the issues of analyzing the audience's knowledge, attitudes, and needs, anticipating the audience's inferences, and identifying textual ambiguities. The programmer's aim or intention shows up in everything from tone to format. Aim considers the programmer's purpose.

Cross-cultural exchange: How students can frustrate the aims of study abroad programmes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnes, Leslie R.

1982-09-01

Readily accepting that study abroad programmes may have as many differing forms and aims as there are participating institutions, and that by no means all programmes include academic content in their goals, I would nevertheless maintain: 1. that a sociological perspective is as necessary as the hitherto predominantly psychological approach in obtaining a balanced assessment of study abroad programmes;

PCR diagnosis of tick-borne pathogens in Maharashtra state, India indicates fitness cost associated with carrier infections is greater for crossbreed than native cattle breeds

PubMed Central

Kolte, Sunil W.; Larcombe, Stephen D.; Jadhao, Suresh G.; Magar, Swapnil P.; Warthi, Ganesh; Kurkure, Nitin V.; Glass, Elizabeth J.; Shiels, Brian R.

2017-01-01

Tick-borne pathogens (TBP) are responsible for significant economic losses to cattle production, globally. This is particularly true in countries like India where TBP constrain rearing of high yielding Bos taurus, as they show susceptibility to acute tick borne disease (TBD), most notably tropical theileriosis caused by Theileria annulata. This has led to a programme of cross breeding Bos taurus (Holstein-Friesian or Jersey) with native Bos indicus (numerous) breeds to generate cattle that are more resistant to disease. However, the cost to fitness of subclinical carrier infection in crossbreeds relative to native breeds is unknown, but could represent a significant hidden economic cost. In this study, a total of 1052 bovine blood samples, together with associated data on host type, sex and body score, were collected from apparently healthy animals in four different agro-climatic zones of Maharashtra state. Samples were screened by PCR for detection of five major TBPs: T. annulata, T. orientalis, B. bigemina, B. bovis and Anaplasma spp.. The results demonstrated that single and co-infection with TBP are common, and although differences in pathogen spp. prevalence across the climatic zones were detected, simplistic regression models predicted that host type, sex and location are all likely to impact on prevalence of TBP. In order to remove issues with autocorrelation between variables, a subset of the dataset was modelled to assess any impact of TBP infection on body score of crossbreed versus native breed cattle (breed type). The model showed significant association between infection with TBP (particularly apicomplexan parasites) and poorer body condition for crossbreed animals. These findings indicate potential cost of TBP carrier infection on crossbreed productivity. Thus, there is a case for development of strategies for targeted breeding to combine productivity traits with disease resistance, or to prevent transmission of TBP in India for economic benefit. PMID:28358861

PCR diagnosis of tick-borne pathogens in Maharashtra state, India indicates fitness cost associated with carrier infections is greater for crossbreed than native cattle breeds.

PubMed

Kolte, Sunil W; Larcombe, Stephen D; Jadhao, Suresh G; Magar, Swapnil P; Warthi, Ganesh; Kurkure, Nitin V; Glass, Elizabeth J; Shiels, Brian R

2017-01-01

Tick-borne pathogens (TBP) are responsible for significant economic losses to cattle production, globally. This is particularly true in countries like India where TBP constrain rearing of high yielding Bos taurus, as they show susceptibility to acute tick borne disease (TBD), most notably tropical theileriosis caused by Theileria annulata. This has led to a programme of cross breeding Bos taurus (Holstein-Friesian or Jersey) with native Bos indicus (numerous) breeds to generate cattle that are more resistant to disease. However, the cost to fitness of subclinical carrier infection in crossbreeds relative to native breeds is unknown, but could represent a significant hidden economic cost. In this study, a total of 1052 bovine blood samples, together with associated data on host type, sex and body score, were collected from apparently healthy animals in four different agro-climatic zones of Maharashtra state. Samples were screened by PCR for detection of five major TBPs: T. annulata, T. orientalis, B. bigemina, B. bovis and Anaplasma spp.. The results demonstrated that single and co-infection with TBP are common, and although differences in pathogen spp. prevalence across the climatic zones were detected, simplistic regression models predicted that host type, sex and location are all likely to impact on prevalence of TBP. In order to remove issues with autocorrelation between variables, a subset of the dataset was modelled to assess any impact of TBP infection on body score of crossbreed versus native breed cattle (breed type). The model showed significant association between infection with TBP (particularly apicomplexan parasites) and poorer body condition for crossbreed animals. These findings indicate potential cost of TBP carrier infection on crossbreed productivity. Thus, there is a case for development of strategies for targeted breeding to combine productivity traits with disease resistance, or to prevent transmission of TBP in India for economic benefit.

Leadership as a Health Research Policy Intervention: An Evaluation of the NIHR Leadership Programme (Phase 2).

PubMed

Marjanovic, Sonja; Cochrane, Gavin; Manville, Catriona; Harte, Emma; Chataway, Joanna; Jones, Molly Morgan

2016-01-29

In early 2012, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) leadership programme was re-commissioned for a further three years following an evaluation by RAND Europe. During this new phase of the programme, we conducted a real-time evaluation, the aim of which was to allow for reflection on and adjustment of the programme on an on-going basis as events unfold. This approach also allowed for participants on the programme to contribute to and positively engage in the evaluation. The study aimed to understand the outputs and impacts from the programme, and to test the underlying assumptions behind the NIHR Leadership Programme as a science policy intervention. Evidence on outputs and impacts of the programme were collected around the motivations and expectations of participants, programme design and individual-, institutional- and system-level impacts.

Does the EUA Institutional Evaluation Programme Contribute to Quality Improvement?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tavares, Diana Amado; Rosa, Maria Joao; Amaral, Alberto

2010-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to reflect on the relevance of the Institutional Evaluation Programme (IEP) of the European University Association (EUA) to universities' quality improvement. It aims to analyse IEP follow-up reports to determine whether the programme contributes to the development of a quality improvement culture.…

Spatial pattern evolution of Aedes aegypti breeding sites in an Argentinean city without a dengue vector control programme.

PubMed

Espinosa, Manuel O; Polop, Francisco; Rotela, Camilo H; Abril, Marcelo; Scavuzzo, Carlos M

2016-11-21

The main objective of this study was to obtain and analyse the space-time dynamics of Aedes aegypti breeding sites in Clorinda City, Formosa Province, Argentina coupled with landscape analysis using the maximum entropy approach in order to generate a dengue vector niche model. In urban areas, without vector control activities, 12 entomologic (larval) samplings were performed during three years (October 2011 to October 2014). The entomologic surveillance area represented 16,511 houses. Predictive models for Aedes distribution were developed using vector breeding abundance data, density analysis, clustering and geoprocessing techniques coupled with Earth observation satellite data. The spatial analysis showed a vector spatial distribution pattern with clusters of high density in the central region of Clorinda with a well-defined high-risk area in the western part of the city. It also showed a differential temporal behaviour among different areas, which could have implications for risk models and control strategies at the urban scale. The niche model obtained for Ae. aegypti, based on only one year of field data, showed that 85.8% of the distribution of breeding sites is explained by the percentage of water supply (48.2%), urban distribution (33.2%), and the percentage of urban coverage (4.4%). The consequences for the development of control strategies are discussed with reference to the results obtained using distribution maps based on environmental variables.

An analysis of the energetic reward offered by field bean (Vicia faba) flowers: Nectar, pollen, and operative force.

PubMed

Bailes, Emily J; Pattrick, Jonathan G; Glover, Beverley J

2018-03-01

Global consumption of crops with a yield that is dependent on animal pollinators is growing, with greater areas planted each year. However, the floral traits that influence pollinator visitation are not usually the focus of breeding programmes, and therefore, it is likely that yield improvements may be made by optimizing floral traits to enhance pollinator visitation rates. We investigated the variation present in the floral reward of the bee-pollinated crop Vicia faba (field bean). We examined the genetic potential for breeding flowers with a greater reward into current commercial varieties and used bee behavioral experiments to gain insight into the optimal nectar concentration to maximize bee preference. There was a large range of variation in the amount of pollen and nectar reward of flowers in the genotypes investigated. Bee behavioral experiments using nectar sugar concentrations found in V. faba lines suggest that Bombus terrestris prefers 55% w/w sugar solution over 40% w/w, but has no preference between 55% w/w and 68% w/w sugar solution. We provide a first indication of the force required to open V. faba flowers. Our results provide a valuable starting point toward breeding for varieties with optimized floral reward. Field studies are now needed to verify whether the genetic potential for breeding more rewarding flowers can translate into higher yield and yield stability.

Genetic diversity and differentiation of exotic and American commercial cattle breeds raised in Brazil.

PubMed

Brasil, B S A F; Coelho, E G A; Drummond, M G; Oliveira, D A A

2013-11-18

The Brazilian cattle population is mainly composed of breeds of zebuine origin and their American derivatives. Comprehensive knowledge about the genetic diversity of these populations is fundamental for animal breeding programs and the conservation of genetic resources. This study aimed to assess the phylogenetic relationships, levels of genetic diversity, and patterns of taurine/zebuine admixture among 9 commercial cattle breeds raised in Brazil. Analysis of DNA polymorphisms was performed on 2965 animals using the 11 microsatellite markers recommended by the International Society of Animal Genetics. High genetic diversity was detected in all breeds, even though significant inbreeding was observed within some. Differences among the breeds accounted for 14.72% of the total genetic variability, and genetic differentiation was higher among taurine than among zebuine cattle. Of note, Nelore cattle presented with high levels of admixture, which is consistent with the history of frequent gene flow during the establishment of this breed in Brazil. Furthermore, significant genetic variability was partitioned within the commercial cattle breeds formed in America, which, therefore, comprise important resources of genetic diversity in the tropics. The genetic characterization of these important Brazilian breeds may now facilitate the development of management and breeding programs for these populations.

Cassava: constraints to production and the transfer of biotechnology to African laboratories.

PubMed

Bull, Simon E; Ndunguru, Joseph; Gruissem, Wilhelm; Beeching, John R; Vanderschuren, Hervé

2011-05-01

Knowledge and technology transfer to African institutes is an important objective to help achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Plant biotechnology in particular enables innovative advances in agriculture and industry, offering new prospects to promote the integration and dissemination of improved crops and their derivatives from developing countries into local markets and the global economy. There is also the need to broaden our knowledge and understanding of cassava as a staple food crop. Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is a vital source of calories for approximately 500 million people living in developing countries. Unfortunately, it is subject to numerous biotic and abiotic stresses that impact on production, consumption, marketability and also local and country economics. To date, improvements to cassava have been led via conventional plant breeding programmes, but with advances in molecular-assisted breeding and plant biotechnology new tools are being developed to hasten the generation of improved farmer-preferred cultivars. In this review, we report on the current constraints to cassava production and knowledge acquisition in Africa, including a case study discussing the opportunities and challenges of a technology transfer programme established between the Mikocheni Agricultural Research Institute in Tanzania and Europe-based researchers. The establishment of cassava biotechnology platform(s) should promote research capabilities in African institutions and allow scientists autonomy to adapt cassava to suit local agro-ecosystems, ultimately serving to develop a sustainable biotechnology infrastructure in African countries.

Association analysis for oxalate concentration in spinach

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Screening and breeding low-oxalate germplasm is a major objective in spinach breeding. This research aims to conduct association analysis and identify SNP markers associated with oxalate concentration in spinach germplasm. A total of 310 spinach genotypes including 300 USDA germplasm accessions and ...

Genetic characterization of four native Italian shepherd dog breeds and analysis of their relationship to cosmopolitan dog breeds using microsatellite markers.

PubMed

Bigi, D; Marelli, S P; Randi, E; Polli, M

2015-12-01

Very little research into genetic diversity of Italian native dog breeds has been carried out so far. In this study we aimed to estimate and compare the genetic diversity of four native Italian shepherd dog breeds: the Maremma, Bergamasco, Lupino del Gigante and Oropa shepherds. Therefore, some cosmopolitan dog breeds, which have been widely raised in Italy for a long time past, have also been considered to check possible influence of these dog populations on the Italian autochthonous breeds considered here. A total of 212 individuals, belonging to 10 different dog breeds, were sampled and genotyped using 18 autosomal microsatellite loci. We analyzed the genetic diversity of these breeds, within breed diversity, breed relationship and population structure. The 10 breeds considered in this study were clearly genetically differentiated from each other, regardless of current population sizes and the onset of separate breeding history. The level of genetic diversity explained 20% of the total genetic variation. The level of H E found here is in agreement with that found by other studies. The native Italian breeds showed generally higher genetic diversity compared with the long established, well-defined cosmopolitan dog breeds. As the Border Collie seems closer to the Italian breeds than the other cosmopolitan shepherd dogs considered here, a possible utilization of this breed to improve working performance in Italian traditional working shepherd dogs cannot be ignored. The data and information found here can be utilized in the organization of conservation programs planned to reduce inbreeding and to minimize loss of genetic variability.

The elimination of the onchocerciasis vector from the island of Bioko as a result of larviciding by the WHO African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control.

PubMed

Traoré, S; Wilson, M D; Sima, A; Barro, T; Diallo, A; Aké, A; Coulibaly, S; Cheke, R A; Meyer, R R F; Mas, J; McCall, P J; Post, R J; Zouré, H; Noma, M; Yaméogo, L; Sékétéli, A V; Amazigo, U V

2009-09-01

The island of Bioko is part of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea and is the only island in the World to have endemic onchocerciasis. The disease is hyperendemic and shows a forest-type epidemiology with low levels of blindness and high levels of skin disease, and the whole population of 68,000 is estimated to be at risk. Control of onchocerciasis began in 1990 using ivermectin and this yielded significant clinical benefits but transmission was not interrupted. Feasibility and preparatory studies carried out between 1995 and 2002 confirmed the probable isolation of the vector on the island, the high vectorial efficiency of the Bioko form of Simulium yahense, the seasonality of river flow, blackfly breeding and biting densities, and the distribution of the vector breeding sites. It was proposed that larviciding should be carried out from January to April, when most of the island's rivers were dry or too low to support Simulium damnosum s.l., and that most rivers would not need to be treated above 500 m altitude because they were too small to support the breeding of S. damnosum s.l. Larviciding (with temephos) would need to be carried out by helicopter (because of problems of access by land), supplemented by ground-based delivery. Insecticide susceptibility trials showed that the Bioko form was highly susceptible to temephos, and insecticide carry was tested in the rivers by assessing the length of river in which S. damnosum s.l. larvae were killed below a temephos dosing point. Regular fly catching points were established in 1999 to provide pre-control biting densities, and to act as monitoring points for control efforts. An environmental impact assessment concluded that the proposed control programme could be expected to do little damage, and a large-scale larviciding trial using ground-based applications of temephos (Abate 20EC) throughout the northern (accessible) part of the island was carried out for five weeks from 12 February 2001. Following this, a first attempt to eliminate the vectors was conducted using helicopter and ground-based applications of temephos from February to May 2003, but this was not successful because some vector populations persisted and subsequently spread throughout the island. A second attempt from January to May 2005 aimed to treat all flowing watercourses and greatly increased the number of treatment points. This led to the successful elimination of the vector. The last biting S. damnosum s.l. was caught in March 2005 and none have been found since then for more than 3 years.

Exploring the development of existing sex education programmes for people with intellectual disabilities: an intervention mapping approach.

PubMed

Schaafsma, Dilana; Stoffelen, Joke M T; Kok, Gerjo; Curfs, Leopold M G

2013-03-01

People with intellectual disabilities face barriers that affect their sexual health. Sex education programmes have been developed by professionals working in the field of intellectual disabilities with the aim to overcome these barriers. The aim of this study was to explore the development of these programmes. Sex education programmes geared to people with intellectual disabilities were examined in the context of the Intervention Mapping protocol. Data were obtained via interviews with the programme developers. All programmes lack specific programme outcomes, do not have a theoretical basis, did not involve members of relevant groups in the development process and lack systematic evaluation. Based on our findings and the literature, we conclude that these programmes are unlikely to be effective. Future programmes should be developed using a more systematic and theory- and evidence-based approach. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Risk factors for Salmonella spp in Portuguese breeding pigs using a multilevel analysis.

PubMed

Correia-Gomes, C; Mendonça, D; Vieira-Pinto, M; Niza-Ribeiro, J

2013-02-01

Salmonella is the second most frequent cause of foodborne illness in the European Union (EU), so EU enforced legislation to achieve a reduction in Salmonella prevalence in the swine sector. To set the reduction target each country carried out a baseline survey to estimate Salmonella prevalence. The aim of our study was to identify risk factors for the presence of Salmonella in breeding pigs based on the data of the Baseline Study for Salmonella in Breeding Pigs in Portugal. In total, 1670 pen fecal samples from 167 herds were tested by culture and 170 samples tested positive. Along with the collection of the samples a survey was applied to collect information about the herd management and potential risk factors. Multilevel analysis was applied to the data using generalized linear mixed models and a logit link function. The outcome variable was the presence/absence of Salmonella in the pen fecal samples. The first level was assigned to the pen fecal samples and the second level to the herds. The results showed significant associations between Salmonella occurrence and the factors (p<0.05): maternity pens versus mating pens (OR=0.39, 95%CI: 0.24-0.63), feed from external or mixed source versus home source (OR=2.81, 95%CI: 1.19-6.61), more than 10 animals per pen versus 10 animals per pen (OR=2.02, 95%CI: 1.19-3.43), North Region versus Alentejo Region (OR=3.86, 95%CI: 1.08-13.75), rodents control (OR=0.23, 95%CI: 0.090-0.59), more than 90% of boars homebred or no boars versus more than 90% of boars from an external source (OR=0.54, 95%CI: 0.3-0.97), semen from another herd versus semen from insemination centers (OR=4.47, 95%CI: 1.38-14.43) and herds with a size of 170 or more sows (OR=1.82, 95%CI: 1.04-3.19). This study offers very relevant information for both the Portuguese veterinary authorities and the pig farmers currently developing control programmes for Salmonella. This is the first study providing evidence for semen and boars source as risk factors for Salmonella in breeding pigs. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

What does an enabling environment for infant and young child nutrition look like at implementation level? Perspectives from a multi-stakeholder process in the Breede Valley Sub-District, Western Cape, South Africa.

PubMed

Du Plessis, L M; McLachlan, M H; Drimie, S E

2018-02-13

Breede Valley is a sub-district of the Cape Winelands district, Western Cape Province, South Africa. The administrative capital of the district is situated in the semi-rural town Worcester. Findings of a baseline survey in Worcester revealed poor infant feeding practices and childhood under- and overnutrition, with particular concern over high levels of stunting and low dietary diversity. Maternal overweight and obesity was high. These characteristics made the site suitable to study multi-sectoral arrangements for infant and young child nutrition (IYCN). The purpose of this study was to explore elements of an enabling environment with key stakeholders aimed at improving IYCN at implementation level. Focus group discussions and interviews were conducted with representatives from two vulnerable communities; local and district government; higher education institutions; business; and the media in the Breede Valley. Audio recordings were transcribed and data were analysed with the Atlas.TI software programme. The participants viewed knowledge and evidence about the first 1000 days of life as important to address IYCN. The impact of early, optimal nutrition on health and intellectual development resonated with them. The IYCN narrative in the Breede Valley could therefore be framed around nutrition's development impact in a well-structured advocacy campaign. Participants felt that capacity and resources were constrained by many competing agendas spreading public resources thinly, leaving limited scope for promotion and prevention activities. "People" were viewed as a resource, and building partnerships and relationships, could bridge some shortfalls in capacity. Conversations about politics and governance elicited strong opinions about what should be done through direct intervention, policy formulation and legislation. A lead government agency could not be identified for taking the IYCN agenda forward, due to its complexity. Participants proposed it should be referred to a local, informal, inter-governmental body where directors and senior managers meet to address issues of cross-cutting importance. The study illustrated that knowledge and evidence; politics and governance; and capacity and resources, elements of the international definition of an enabling environment, also apply at implementation level. In addition, our findings indicated that a people-centred approach is critical in shaping the enabling environment at this level.

Application of microsatellite markers as potential tools for traceability of Girgentana goat breed dairy products.

PubMed

Sardina, Maria Teresa; Tortorici, Lina; Mastrangelo, Salvatore; Di Gerlando, Rosalia; Tolone, Marco; Portolano, Baldassare

2015-08-01

In livestock, breed assignment may play a key role in the certification of products linked to specific breeds. Traceability of farm animals and authentication of their products can contribute to improve breed profitability and sustainability of animal productions with significant impact on the rural economy of particular geographic areas and on breed and biodiversity conservation. With the goal of developing a breed genetic traceability system for Girgentana dairy products, the aim of this study was to identify specific microsatellite markers able to discriminate among the most important Sicilian dairy goat breeds, in order to detect possible adulteration in Girgentana dairy products. A total of 20 microsatellite markers were analyzed on 338 individual samples from Girgentana, Maltese, and Derivata di Siria goat breeds. Specific microsatellite markers useful for traceability of dairy products were identified. Eight microsatellite markers showed alleles present at the same time in Maltese and Derivata di Siria and absent in Girgentana and, therefore, they were tested on DNA pools of the three breeds. Considering the electropherograms' results, only FCB20, SRCRSP5, and TGLA122 markers were tested on DNA samples extracted from cheeses of Girgentana goat breed. These three microsatellite markers could be applied in a breed genetic traceability system of Girgentana dairy products in order to detect adulteration due to Maltese and Derivata di Siria goat breeds. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High-density genotyping of the A.E. Watkins Collection of hexaploid landraces identifies a large molecular diversity compared to elite bread wheat.

PubMed

Winfield, Mark O; Allen, Alexandra M; Wilkinson, Paul A; Burridge, Amanda J; Barker, Gary L A; Coghill, Jane; Waterfall, Christy; Wingen, Luzie U; Griffiths, Simon; Edwards, Keith J

2018-01-01

The importance of wheat as a food crop makes it a major target for agricultural improvements. As one of the most widely grown cereal grains, together with maize and rice, wheat is the leading provider of calories in the global diet, constituting 29% of global cereal production in 2015. In the last few decades, however, yields have plateaued, suggesting that the green revolution, at least for wheat, might have run its course and that new sources of genetic variation are urgently required. The overall aim of our work was to identify novel variation that may then be used to enable the breeding process. As landraces are a potential source of such diversity, here we have characterized the A.E. Watkins Collection alongside a collection of elite accessions using two complementary high-density and high-throughput genotyping platforms. While our results show the importance of using the appropriate SNP collection to compare diverse accessions, they also show that the Watkins Collection contains a substantial amount of novel genetic diversity which has either not been captured in current breeding programmes or which has been lost through previous selection pressures. As a consequence of our analysis, we have identified a number of accessions which carry an array of novel alleles along with a number of interesting chromosome rearrangements which confirm the variable nature of the wheat genome. © 2017 The Authors. Plant Biotechnology Journal published by Society for Experimental Biology and The Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Reproductive biology of Ferocactus recurvus (Mill.) Borg subsp. recurvus (Cactaceae) in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, Mexico.

PubMed

Córdova-Acosta, E; Zavala-Hurtado, J A; Golubov, J; Casas, A

2017-09-01

Mexico has one of the highest diversities of barrel cacti species worldwide; however, all are threatened and require conservation policies. Information on their reproductive biology is crucial, but few studies are available. Ferocactus recurvus subsp. recurvus is a barrel cactus endemic to the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley. Our research aimed to characterise its floral and pollination biology. We hypothesised bee pollination, as suggested by its floral morphology and behaviour, and self-incompatibility, like most barrel cacti studied. Three study sites were selected in the semiarid Zapotitlán Valley, Mexico. We examined 190 flowers from 180 plants to determine: morphometry and behaviour of flowers, flower visitors and probable pollinators, and breeding system. Flowers showed diurnal anthesis, lasting 2-5 days, the stigma being receptive on day 2 or 3 after the start of anthesis. Flowers produced scarce/no nectar and main visitors were bees (Apidae), followed by flies (Muscidae), ants (Formicidae), thrips (Thripidae) and hummingbirds (Throchilidae); however, only native bees and occasionally wasps contacted the stigma and anthers. Pollination experiments revealed that this species is self-incompatible and xenogamous. In natural conditions, fruit set was 60% and cross-pollination fruit set was 100%. Percentage seed germination resulting from cross-pollination was higher than in the control treatment. Our results provide ecological information for conservation programmes to ensure a high probability of breeding and seed production in natural populations of F. recurvus. © 2017 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

Characterization of the genetic profile of five Danish dog breeds.

PubMed

Pertoldi, C; Kristensen, T N; Loeschcke, V; Berg, P; Praebel, A; Stronen, A V; Proschowsky, H F; Fredholm, M

2013-11-01

This investigation presents results from a genetic characterization of 5 Danish dog breeds genotyped on the CanineHD BeadChip microarray with 170,000 SNP. The breeds investigated were 1) Danish Spitz (DS; n=8), 2) Danish-Swedish Farm Dog (DSF; n=18), 3) Broholmer (BR; n=22), 4) Old Danish Pointing Dog (ODP; n=24), and 5) Greenland Dog (GD; n=23). The aims of the investigation were to characterize the genetic profile of the abovementioned dog breeds by quantifying the genetic differentiation among them and the degree of genetic homogeneity within breeds. The genetic profile was determined by means of principal component analysis (PCA) and through a Bayesian clustering method. Both the PCA and the Bayesian clustering method revealed a clear genetic separation of the 5 breeds. The level of genetic variation within the breeds varied. The expected heterozygosity (HE) as well as the degree of polymorphism (P%) ranked the dog breeds in the order DS>DSF>BR>ODP>GD. Interestingly, the breed with a tenfold higher census population size compared to the other breeds, the Greenland Dog, had the lowest within-breed genetic variation, emphasizing that census size is a poor predictor of genetic variation. The observed differences in variation among and within dog breeds may be related to factors such as genetic drift, founder effects, genetic admixture, and population bottlenecks. We further examined whether the observed genetic patterns in the 5 dog breeds can be used to design breeding strategies for the preservation of the genetic pool of these dog breeds.

Selective breeding: the future of TB management in African buffalo?

PubMed

le Roex, N; Berrington, C M; Hoal, E G; van Helden, P D

2015-09-01

The high prevalence of bovine tuberculosis (BTB) in African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) in regions of southern African has a negative economic impact on the trade of animals and animal products, represents an ecological threat to biodiversity, and poses a health risk to local communities through the wildlife-cattle-human interface. Test and cull methods may not be logistically feasible in many free-range wildlife systems, and with the presence of co-existing BTB hosts and the limited effectiveness of the BCG vaccine in buffalo, there is a need for alternative methods of BTB management. Selective breeding for increased resistance to BTB in buffalo may be a viable method of BTB management in the future, particularly if genetic information can be incorporated into these schemes. To explore this possibility, we discuss the different strategies that can be employed in selective breeding programmes, and consider the implementation of genetic improvement schemes. We reflect on the suitability of applying this strategy for enhanced BTB resistance in African buffalo, and address the challenges of this approach that must be taken into account. Conclusions and the implications for management are presented. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Research on reproduction is essential for captive breeding of endangered carnivore species.

PubMed

Jewgenow, K; Braun, B C; Dehnhard, M; Zahmel, J; Goeritz, F

2017-04-01

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) has great potential for conservation, but its successful application in captive breeding programmes of endangered species is often compromised by limited background on species' biology. Although carnivore species benefit from knowledge obtained in domesticated species (dogs, cats and ferrets), the focus of research is different. In pet animals, research in reproduction has mainly been focused on ovarian function and contraception, although substantial progress has also been made in the field of in vitro embryo production, transgenic embryos and cloning to aid relevant medical models. In endangered species, however, research should focus on characterizing reproductive traits (cyclicity and seasonality) to unravel species-specific endocrine principles of reproduction physiology. Based on this knowledge, it is crucial to enhance the ability to manipulate female reproductive cycles, especially those of embryo recipients. Furthermore, research conducted on molecular and cellular mechanisms of gamete and embryo development, as well as on cryopreservation protocols of gametes and embryos, is required for successful implementation of advanced ART to wild carnivores. This review will provide a summary on the state of the art with focus on ART contributing to conservation breeding of endangered carnivores. © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

The making of giant pumpkins: how selective breeding changed the phloem of Cucurbita maxima from source to sink.

PubMed

Savage, Jessica A; Haines, Dustin F; Holbrook, N Michele

2015-08-01

Despite the success of breeding programmes focused on increasing fruit size, relatively little is known about the anatomical and physiological changes required to increase reproductive allocation. To address this gap in knowledge, we compared fruit/ovary anatomy, vascular structure and phloem transport of two varieties of giant pumpkins, and their smaller fruited progenitor under controlled environmental conditions. We also modelled carbon transport into the fruit of competitively grown plants using data collected in the field. There was no evidence that changes in leaf area or photosynthetic capacity impacted fruit size. Instead, giant varieties differed in their ovary morphology and contained more phloem on a cross-sectional area basis in their petioles and pedicels than the ancestral variety. These results suggest that sink activity is important in determining fruit size and that giant pumpkins have an enhanced capacity to transport carbon. The strong connection observed between carbon fixation, phloem structure and fruit growth in field-grown plants indicates that breeding for large fruit has led to changes throughout the carbon transport system that could have important implications for how we think about phloem transport velocity and carbon allocation. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Selective breeding in fish and conservation of genetic resources for aquaculture.

PubMed

Lind, C E; Ponzoni, R W; Nguyen, N H; Khaw, H L

2012-08-01

To satisfy increasing demands for fish as food, progress must occur towards greater aquaculture productivity whilst retaining the wild and farmed genetic resources that underpin global fish production. We review the main selection methods that have been developed for genetic improvement in aquaculture, and discuss their virtues and shortcomings. Examples of the application of mass, cohort, within family, and combined between-family and within-family selection are given. In addition, we review the manner in which fish genetic resources can be lost at the intra-specific, species and ecosystem levels and discuss options to best prevent this. We illustrate that fundamental principles of genetic management are common in the implementation of both selective breeding and conservation programmes, and should be emphasized in capacity development efforts. We highlight the value of applied genetics approaches for increasing aquaculture productivity and the conservation of fish genetic resources. © 2012 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

A small scale field trial with expanded polystyrene beads for mosquito control in septic tanks.

PubMed

Chang, M S; Lian, S; Jute, N

1995-01-01

A field trial of the use of expanded polystyrene beads (EPSB) to control the breeding of mosquito larvae in household septic tanks was conducted in Sarawak. One week after treatment, the breeding of Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes albopictus was reduced by 100% and 68.7% respectively. For both species combined, a 57.25% reduction in the adult emergence rate was achieved. No adult was caught in the emergence trap one month after treatment. A reduction in mosquito biting rates was reported by 87.3% of respondents. All households regarded the EPSB treatment as effective. This study has reduced the relatively high infestation rate of A. albopictus in the septic tanks to 16-20%. The EPSB treatment is feasible and practical. Post-treatment assessment using adult emergence traps and the implications for the vector control programme of the local authority are discussed.

Exploring the Development of Existing Sex Education Programmes for People with Intellectual Disabilities: An Intervention Mapping Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaafsma, Dilana; Stoffelen, Joke M. T.; Kok, Gerjo; Curfs, Leopold M. G.

2013-01-01

Background: People with intellectual disabilities face barriers that affect their sexual health. Sex education programmes have been developed by professionals working in the field of intellectual disabilities with the aim to overcome these barriers. The aim of this study was to explore the development of these programmes. Methods: Sex education…

Litter size at birth in purebred dogs--a retrospective study of 224 breeds.

PubMed

Borge, Kaja Sverdrup; Tønnessen, Ragnhild; Nødtvedt, Ane; Indrebø, Astrid

2011-03-15

Despite the long history of purebred dogs and the large number of existing breeds, few studies of canine litter size based upon a large number of breeds exist. Previous studies are either old or include only one or a few selected breeds. The aim of this large-scale retrospective study was to estimate the mean litter size in a large population of purebred dogs and to describe some factors that might influence the litter size. A total of 10,810 litters of 224 breeds registered in the Norwegian Kennel Club from 2006 to 2007 were included in the study. The overall mean litter size at birth was 5.4 (± 0.025). A generalized linear mixed model with a random intercept for breed revealed that the litter size was significantly influenced by the size of the breed, the method of mating and the age of the bitch. A significant interaction between breed size and age was detected, in that the expected number of puppies born decreased more for older bitches of large breeds. Mean litter size increased with breed size, from 3.5 (± 0.04) puppies in miniature breeds to 7.1 (± 0.13) puppies in giant breeds. No effect on litter size was found for the season of birth or the parity of the bitch. The large number of breeds and the detail of the registered information on the litters in this study are unique. In conclusion, the size of the breed, the age of the bitch and the method of mating were found to influence litter size in purebred dogs when controlling for breed, with the size of the breed as the strongest determinant. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Progress in the molecular and genetic modification breeding of beef cattle in China.

PubMed

Tong, Bin; Zhang, Li; Li, Guang-Peng

2017-11-20

The studies of beef cattle breeding in China have been greatly improved with the rapid development of the international beef cattle industrialization. The beef cattle breeding technologies have rapidly transformed from traditional breeding to molecular marker-assisted breeding, genomic selection and genetic modification breeding. Hundreds of candidate genes and molecular markers associated with growth, meat quality, reproduction performance and diseases resistance have been identified, and some of them have already been used in cattle breeding. Genes and molecular markers associated with growth and development are focused on the growth hormone, muscle regulatory factors, myostatin and insulin-like growth factors. Meat quality is mediated by fatty acid transport and deposition related signals, calpains and calpain system, muscle regulatory factors and muscle growth regulation pathways. Reproduction performance is regulated by GnRH-FSH-LH, growth differentiation factor 9, prolactin receptor and forkhead box protein O1. Disease resistance is modulated by the major histocompatibility complex gene family, toll-like receptors, mannose-binding lectin and interferon gene signals. In this review, we summarize the most recent progress in beef cattle breeding in marker-assisted selection, genome-wide selection and genetic modification breeding, aiming to provide a reference for further genetic breeding research of beef cattle in China.

Breed, sex, and litter effects in 2-month old puppies' behaviour in a standardised open-field test.

PubMed

Barnard, Shanis; Marshall-Pescini, Sarah; Pelosi, Annalisa; Passalacqua, Chiara; Prato-Previde, Emanuela; Valsecchi, Paola

2017-05-11

A considerable number of studies have reported differences among dog breeds with respect to their genetic profile, cognitive abilities or personality traits. Each dog breed is normally treated as a homogeneous group, however, researchers have recently questioned whether the behavioural profile of modern breeds still reflects their historical function or if the intense divergent selective pressures and geographical barriers have created a more fragmented picture. The majority of studies attempting to assess and compare modern breeds' personality focused on the evaluation of adult dogs where the potential effects of environmental/human factors on the dogs' behaviour are hard to discern from their genetic heritage. In the following study, we aimed at investigating between- and within-breed differences in the personality of two-months-old puppies by direct behavioural observation of 377 puppies from 12 breeds. Results showed that there was no effect of sex, however both breed and litter, significantly affected all personality traits. Breed on average explained 10% of the variance, whereas the effect of litter was noticeably higher, explaining on average 23% of the variance. Taken together, our results suggest that breed does have some influence on personality traits, but they also highlight the importance of taking litter effects into account.

Seroprevalence and factors associated with seropositivity to equine arteritis virus in Spanish Purebred horses in Spain.

PubMed

Cruz, F; Fores, P; Mughini-Gras, L; Ireland, J; Moreno, M A; Newton, R

2016-09-01

Equine viral arteritis (EVA), a disease caused by infection with the equine arteritis virus (EAV), is present in many European countries. In Spain, the last confirmed outbreak was reported in 1992 and there is a paucity of seroprevalence studies. The disease has a major impact on the equine breeding industry, which is mainly represented by Spanish Purebred (SP) horses in Spain. To estimate the seroprevalence of EAV in the breeding SP horse population in central Spain and identify potential horse and studfarm level factors associated with seropositivity to EAV. Cross-sectional study. Individual serum samples from 555 SP horses, collected between September 2011 and November 2013 at 35 studfarms, were tested using a commercially available EAV antibody ELISA and seroneutralisation as the World Organisation for Animal Health reference confirmation test for samples with positive and equivocal results. Data on factors putatively associated with seropositivity to EAV were collected via a questionnaire and examined using random effects logistic regression for analysis of clustered data. Equine arteritis virus seroprevalence in the SP breeding population in central Spain standardised for the sex distribution of the reference horse population, was estimated to be 16.8% (95% confidence interval 5.2-28.5%). Increasing numbers of breeding mares on the studfarm and increasing percentage of mares with reproductive problems during the last 12 months were identified as being positively associated with EAV seropositivity. Mares vaccinated against Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) and/or -4 (EHV-4) were also positively associated with EAV seropositivity. These findings are of importance to ensure appropriate biosecurity measures for studfarms are carried out and may help facilitate the development of an EVA surveillance programme in the SP breeding horse population. © 2015 EVJ Ltd.

Breeding for genetic improvement of forage plants in relation to increasing animal production with reduced environmental footprint.

PubMed

Kingston-Smith, A H; Marshall, A H; Moorby, J M

2013-03-01

Animal production is a fundamental component of the food supply chain, and with an increasing global population production levels are set to increase. Ruminant animals in particular are valuable in their ability to convert a fibre-rich forage diet into a high-quality protein product for human consumption, although this benefit is offset by inefficiencies in rumen fermentation that contribute to emission of significant quantities of methane and nitrogenous waste. Through co-operation between plant and animal sciences, we can identify how the nutritional requirements of ruminants can be satisfied by high-quality forages for the future. Selective forage plant breeding has supported crop improvement for nearly a century. Early plant breeding programmes were successful in terms of yield gains (4% to 5% per decade), with quality traits becoming increasingly important breeding targets (e.g. enhanced disease resistance and digestibility). Recently, demands for more sustainable production systems have required high yielding, high-quality forages that enable efficient animal production with minimal environmental impact. Achieving this involves considering the entire farm system and identifying opportunities for maximising nutrient use efficiency in both forage and animal components. Forage crops of the future must be able to utilise limited resources (water and nutrients) to maximise production on a limited land area and this may require us to consider alternative plant species to those currently in use. Furthermore, new breeding targets will be identified as the interactions between plants and the animals that consume them become better understood. This will ensure that available resources are targeted at delivering maximum benefits to the animal through enhanced transformation efficiency.

Cross-transferability of SSR markers in Osmanthus

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Developing a molecular tool kit for hybrid breeding of Osmanthus species and related genera is an important step in creating a systematic breeding program for this species. To date, molecular resources have been aimed solely at O. fragrans with little work to develop markers for other species and cu...

A New Breed of Environmental Film

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malamud, Randy

2008-01-01

In this article, the author reports how today's environmental film festivals feature a new breed of documentary that offer nuanced narratives about intricate technologies. The author relates that the environmental films he grew up with sedately depicted the quiet sublimity of the wilderness. Today's films, the author observes, aim far beyond a…

Control of Aedes aegypti larvae in household water containers by Chinese cat fish.

PubMed

Wu, N; Wang, S S; Han, G X; Xu, R M; Tang, G K; Qian, C

1987-01-01

In 1980-81 an outbreak of dengue fever occurred in Guangdong province and in Guangxi-Zhuang autonomous region in the central-southern part of China. Subsequently, a nationwide survey indicated that the vector of the disease, Aedes aegypti, was confined to the coastal strip of Guangdong and Guangxi-Zhuang. Since the first case in the outbreak occurred in Guangxi-Zhuang, a community-based programme to control A. aegypti was set up in eight fishing villages of this region where the mosquito was breeding in household water containers. The principal method of control was use of the indigenous edible fish Clarias fuscus (Chinese cat fish), which is highly larvivorous and tolerant of harsh environmental conditions. Each container was stocked with a young fish, which could survive there for periods of up to a year. A team of primary medical personnel (barefoot doctors) made sure that the programme was correctly implemented. The programme was monitored from 1981 to 1985 in three of the villages, and the results indicated that the Breteau index remained at a low level throughout this period.

Control of Aedes aegypti larvae in household water containers by Chinese cat fish

PubMed Central

Neng, Wu; Shusen, Wang; Guangxin, Han; Rongman, Xu; Guangkun, Tang; Chen, Qian

1987-01-01

In 1980-81 an outbreak of dengue fever occurred in Guangdong province and in Guangxi-Zhuang autonomous region in the central-southern part of China. Subsequently, a nationwide survey indicated that the vector of the disease, Aedes aegypti, was confined to the coastal strip of Guangdong and Guangxi-Zhuang. Since the first case in the outbreak occurred in Guangxi-Zhuang, a community-based programme to control A. aegypti was set up in eight fishing villages of this region where the mosquito was breeding in household water containers. The principal method of control was use of the indigenous edible fish Clarias fuscus (Chinese cat fish), which is highly larvivorous and tolerant of harsh environmental conditions. Each container was stocked with a young fish, which could survive there for periods of up to a year. A team of primary medical personnel (barefoot doctors) made sure that the programme was correctly implemented. The programme was monitored from 1981 to 1985 in three of the villages, and the results indicated that the Breteau index remained at a low level throughout this period. PMID:3500803

The Neuroscience of Callous-Unemotional Subtype of Conduct Problems: Implications for Intervention and Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Alice P.; Viding, Essi

2010-01-01

This paper presents a novel school-based intervention programme for children with chronic and severe emotional and behavioural difficulties. The main aim of the programme is to reduce conduct problems and to increase prosocial behaviours. The ultimate aim of such a programme is to help pupils with severe and chronic conduct problems back on track…

Foraging plasticity in seabirds: A non-invasive study of the diet of greater crested terns breeding in the Benguela region

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Marine predators, such as seabirds, are useful indicators of marine ecosystem functioning. In particular, seabird diet may reflect variability in food-web composition due to natural or human-induced environmental change. Diet monitoring programmes, which sample diet non-invasively, are valuable aids to conservation and management decision-making. We investigated the diet of an increasing population of greater crested terns Thalasseus bergii in the Western Cape, South Africa, during three successive breeding seasons (2013 to 2015), when populations of other seabirds feeding on small pelagic schooling fish in the region were decreasing. Breeding greater crested terns carry prey in their bills, so we used an intensive photo-sampling method to record their diet with little disturbance. We identified 24,607 prey items from at least 47 different families, with 34 new prey species recorded. Fish dominated the diet, constituting 94% of prey by number, followed by cephalopods (3%), crustaceans (2%) and insects (1%). The terns mainly targeted surface-schooling Clupeiformes, with anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus the most abundant prey in all three breeding seasons (65% overall). Prey composition differed significantly between breeding stages and years, with anchovy most abundant at the start of the breeding season, becoming less frequent as the season progressed. The proportion of anchovy in the diet also was influenced by environmental factors; anchovy occurred more frequently with increasing wind speeds and was scarce on foggy days, presumably because terns rely in part on social facilitation to locate anchovy schools. The application of this intensive and non-invasive photo-sampling method revealed an important degree of foraging plasticity for this seabird within a context of locally reduced food availability, suggesting that, unlike species that specialise on a few high-quality prey, opportunistic seabirds may be better able to cope with reductions in the abundance of their preferred prey. PMID:29385167

Foraging plasticity in seabirds: A non-invasive study of the diet of greater crested terns breeding in the Benguela region.

PubMed

Gaglio, Davide; Cook, Timothée R; McInnes, Alistair; Sherley, Richard B; Ryan, Peter G

2018-01-01

Marine predators, such as seabirds, are useful indicators of marine ecosystem functioning. In particular, seabird diet may reflect variability in food-web composition due to natural or human-induced environmental change. Diet monitoring programmes, which sample diet non-invasively, are valuable aids to conservation and management decision-making. We investigated the diet of an increasing population of greater crested terns Thalasseus bergii in the Western Cape, South Africa, during three successive breeding seasons (2013 to 2015), when populations of other seabirds feeding on small pelagic schooling fish in the region were decreasing. Breeding greater crested terns carry prey in their bills, so we used an intensive photo-sampling method to record their diet with little disturbance. We identified 24,607 prey items from at least 47 different families, with 34 new prey species recorded. Fish dominated the diet, constituting 94% of prey by number, followed by cephalopods (3%), crustaceans (2%) and insects (1%). The terns mainly targeted surface-schooling Clupeiformes, with anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus the most abundant prey in all three breeding seasons (65% overall). Prey composition differed significantly between breeding stages and years, with anchovy most abundant at the start of the breeding season, becoming less frequent as the season progressed. The proportion of anchovy in the diet also was influenced by environmental factors; anchovy occurred more frequently with increasing wind speeds and was scarce on foggy days, presumably because terns rely in part on social facilitation to locate anchovy schools. The application of this intensive and non-invasive photo-sampling method revealed an important degree of foraging plasticity for this seabird within a context of locally reduced food availability, suggesting that, unlike species that specialise on a few high-quality prey, opportunistic seabirds may be better able to cope with reductions in the abundance of their preferred prey.

The genome-wide structure of two economically important indigenous Sicilian cattle breeds.

PubMed

Mastrangelo, S; Saura, M; Tolone, M; Salces-Ortiz, J; Di Gerlando, R; Bertolini, F; Fontanesi, L; Sardina, M T; Serrano, M; Portolano, B

2014-11-01

Genomic technologies, such as high-throughput genotyping based on SNP arrays, provided background information concerning genome structure in domestic animals. The aim of this work was to investigate the genetic structure, the genome-wide estimates of inbreeding, coancestry, effective population size (Ne), and the patterns of linkage disequilibrium (LD) in 2 economically important Sicilian local cattle breeds, Cinisara (CIN) and Modicana (MOD), using the Illumina Bovine SNP50K v2 BeadChip. To understand the genetic relationship and to place both Sicilian breeds in a global context, genotypes from 134 other domesticated bovid breeds were used. Principal component analysis showed that the Sicilian cattle breeds were closer to individuals of Bos taurus taurus from Eurasia and formed nonoverlapping clusters with other breeds. Between the Sicilian cattle breeds, MOD was the most differentiated, whereas the animals belonging to the CIN breed showed a lower value of assignment, the presence of substructure, and genetic links with the MOD breed. The average molecular inbreeding and coancestry coefficients were moderately high, and the current estimates of Ne were low in both breeds. These values indicated a low genetic variability. Considering levels of LD between adjacent markers, the average r(2) in the MOD breed was comparable to those reported for others cattle breeds, whereas CIN showed a lower value. Therefore, these results support the need of more dense SNP arrays for a high-power association mapping and genomic selection efficiency, particularly for the CIN cattle breed. Controlling molecular inbreeding and coancestry would restrict inbreeding depression, the probability of losing beneficial rare alleles, and therefore the risk of extinction. The results generated from this study have important implications for the development of conservation and/or selection breeding programs in these 2 local cattle breeds.

The economics of optimal health and productivity in the commercial dairy.

PubMed

Galligan, D T

1999-08-01

Dairy production practices are changing; in order to remain viable, producers must optimise the health and productivity of dairy herds in economic terms. Health care is important in economic terms because disease can substantially reduce the productivity of individual animals. Preventive disease control programmes can thus result in economic gains for the dairy producer. The author describes new approaches to preventing postpartum diseases and dealing with fertility problems which can result from these diseases. Other aspects of dairy production are also changing, employing new technologies where these are judged to be profitable. Innovations include: the use of bovine somatotropin; systematic breeding/culling programmes; new mathematical modelling techniques to determine optimum feed composition and to define optimal growth levels for accelerated heifer-rearing programmes; the use of computers to collect, store and analyse data on animal production and health; and semen selection programmes. Increasing awareness of bio-security is also vital, not least because of the large investment present in dairy herds. Whatever practices are employed, they must offer economic returns to producers that compete with alternative uses of capital. Optimal levels of disease control must be determined for a particular production situation, taking into account not only the economic health of the producer, but also the well-being of the animals.

Pupal productivity & nutrient reserves of Aedes mosquitoes breeding in sewage drains & other habitats of Kolkata, India: Implications for habitat expansion & vector management.

PubMed

Banerjee, Soumyajit; Mohan, Sushree; Saha, Nabaneeta; Mohanty, Siba Prasad; Saha, Goutam K; Aditya, Gautam

2015-12-01

The quality of breeding sites is reflected through the pupal productivity and the life history traits of Aedes mosquitoes. Using nutrient reserves and pupal productivity of Aedes as indicators, the larval habitats including sewage drains were characterized to highlight the habitat expansion and vector management. The pupae and adults collected from the containers and sewage drains were characterized in terms of biomass and nutrient reserves and the data were subjected to three way factorial ANOVA. Discriminant function analyses were performed to highlight the differences among the habitats for sustenance of Aedes mosquitoes. Survey of larval habitats from the study area revealed significant differences (P<0.05) in the pupal productivity of Aedes among the habitats and months. Despite sewage drains being comparatively less utilized for breeding, the pupae were of higher biomass with corresponding adults having longer wings in contrast to other habitats. The nutrient reserve of the adults emerging from pupae of sewage drains was significantly higher (P<0.05), compared to other habitats, as reflected through the discriminant function analysis. The present results showed that for both Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus, sewage drains were equally congenial habitat as were plastic, porcelain and earthen habitats. Availability of Aedes immature in sewage drains poses increased risk of dengue, and thus vector control programme should consider inclusion of sewage drains as breeding habitat of dengue vector mosquitoes.

A review of official data obtained from dog control records generated by the dog control service of county cork, Ireland during 2007

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background There are no peer reviewed data on dog control records from an official agency in Ireland. In order to address this, a total of 2,669 official dog control service records generated during 2007 by Cork County Council dog control service were reviewed. Results Over 70 percent of records related to unwanted dogs and dogs not under their owners control. Stray dogs were collected by the service regularly throughout the year but with notable increase in voluntary surrenders by owners from January through to April. The majority of dogs collected or surrendered were male (2:1 ratio), of medium size, described as having a friendly temperament and were not wearing a neck collar. The Crossbreed and Greyhound breeds were more frequently collected as strays, while Greyhounds and German Shepherds were more frequently voluntarily surrendered by their owner. Restricted breeds such as Pit Bull terriers, German Shepherds and Rottweilers were more frequently reported by members of the public for aggressive behaviour while the only restricted breed reported for biting or snapping was the German Shepherd. Conclusions Routine recording of dog control services in County Cork provide data on responsible dog ownership including the licensing of breeds, and surrender of owned dogs and the collection of stray dogs. Data capture and utilisation of dog control services by local authorities has potential to inform policy on responsible dog ownership and education programmes. PMID:22681751

[Genetic improvement of breeding materials in tropical and sub- tropical maize].

PubMed

Sansern, Jampatong; Chaba, Jampatong

2011-12-01

In the present study, 122 maize local cultivars and adapted exotic germplasm from Thailand were used to develop open pollinate varieties (OPVs) using modified ear-to-row scheme, top-cross or test-cross programmes. Ten new maize OPVs with distinct characters were created based on the precise breeding objectives and directional design. The selection of breeding materials was based upon three factors: elite performance, broad adaptability, and genetic diversity. The synthesizing system provided four features: genetic mixing and recombination, equal comparable genetic contribution, mild selection pressure, and maximum intermating for genetic equilibrium (i.e., the female traits were close for the genetic com-positions). Subsequently, Suwan 1 composite and its deritives (Suwan 2, Suwan 3 composite, Suwan 5 and KS24 synthetics), KS6 and KS28 synthetics with the dent type of different origins, and Caripeno DMR composite, KS23, and KS27 synthetics with the dent type of Non-Suwan 1 origin were developed. These OPVs had been improved for 2~13 cycles using S1 recurrent selection method. About 50 inbred lines were developed from these OPVs, and 16 elite single (three-way) crosses were combined and released from these inbred lines. At present, at least one parental inbred line of all the tropical hybrids was derived from Suwan (KS) germplasm in Thailand. Based on the theory of the synthesizing OPVs and developing inbred lines, this paper discussed the genetic moderate diversity, relationship, heterotic group, and patterns for synthesizing OPVs, and inspiration for composed OPVs to heterosis breeding.

Illuminating the pathway for the next generation of cardiovascular medicine practitioners and researchers: Highlights of the Joint PASCAR–SCC clinical symposium on hypertension and heart failure, Cameroon

PubMed Central

Abanda, Martin H; Dzudie, Anastase; Nganhyim, Loryane; Dzekem, Bonaventure S; Dzudie, Anastase; Hamadou, Ba; Luma, Henry; Douala, Marie Solange; Priso, Eugene Belley; Dzudie, Anastase; Monkam, Yves; Luma, Henry; Douala, Marie Solange; Nana, Theophile N; Priso, Eugene Belley; Dzudie, Anastase; Nel, George; Mocumbi, Ana O; Sliwa, Karen; Dzudie, Anastase; Hamadou, Ba; Monkam, Yves; Mocumbi, Ana O; Stewart, Simon; Sliwa, Karen

2017-01-01

Summary The Pan-African Society of Cardiology roadmap aims to achieve a 25% control of hypertension by the year 2025. Whether this is attainable or not depends largely on the capacity of healthcare providers and policy makers to address the rising prevalence of hypertension and its complications, including heart failure. Task sharing is fundamental in optimising hypertension control. The Clinical Research Education, Networking and Consultancy (CRENC) engaged with the Pan-African Society of Cardiology (PASCAR) and the Cameroon Cardiac Society (SCC) in a joint hypertension and heart failure symposium at the Douala General Hospital in 2016. The primary aims were to foster clinical research in cardiovascular medicine by raising awareness on cardiovascular diseases, to provide evidence-based training of an international standard, to encourage the conduction and dissemination of high-quality research, and to build programmes for continuing medical education. The secondary aim was to potentiate the 2nd Douala Research and Scientific Days. The symposium, which featured didactic lectures interspaced with oral/poster abstract presentations and a clinical visit, culminated in the launching of the book Heart of Africa, and the Young Investigator award. It is hoped that these served to capacitate existing cardiovascular structures, breed the next generation of cardiovascular physicians and researchers, and imprint a trail of clinical research excellence to be emulated in Cameroon and beyond. PMID:28906542

[Work place health promotion programmes of the statutory German Pension Insurance].

PubMed

Meffert, C; Mittag, O; Jäckel, W H

2013-12-01

In 2009, the amendment of § 31 Abs. 1 Nr. 2 SGB VI gave the German Pension Insurance the opportunity to provide outpatient medical treatments for insured people who have an occupation with particularly high risk of health. Ever since, the German Pension Insurance has developed various work place prevention programmes, which have been implemented as pilot projects. This article aims at systematically recording and comparatively analyzing these programmes in a synopsis which meets the current state of knowledge. We developed an 8 page questionnaire focusing on work place prevention programmes by the German Pension Insurance. This questionnaire was sent to people in charge of all programmes known to us. All programmes have been drafted -across indications. They are aiming at insured people who already suffer from first health disorders but who are not in imminent need of rehabilitation. However, the concrete target groups at which the specific programmes are aimed differ (shift workers, nurses, elderly employees). Another difference between the various programmes is the setting (in- or outpatients) as well as the duration. All programmes are using existing structures offered by the German Pension Insurance. They provide measures in pension insurance owned rehabilitation centers. It would be desirable to link these performances with internal work place health promotion and offers of other social insurances. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Impact of an Inclusive Programme on Achievement, Attendance and Perceptions towards the School Climate and Social-Emotional Adaptation among Students with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sakiz, Halis

2017-01-01

The aim of this paper is to report outcomes of a school-based programme aiming to promote achievement, attendance and positive perceptions towards the school climate and social-emotional adaptation among students with disabilities (SWD). The programme included a series of training and social activities for school staff, parents and children…

Krachtvoer: Process Evaluation of a Dutch Programme for Lower Vocational Schools to Promote Healthful Diet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martens, Marloes; van Assema, Patricia; Paulussen, Theo; Schaalma, Herman; Brug, Johannes

2006-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine the fidelity and completeness of the implementation of a school-based healthful diet promotion programme called "Krachtvoer" (we use the Dutch title of the programme throughout this article. A possible translation is Power Food, but this does not reflect the play on words in the Dutch title), aimed at…

Frequencies of genes for coat colour and horns in Nordic cattle breeds

PubMed Central

Kantanen, Juha; Olsaker, Ingrid; Brusgaard, Klaus; Eythorsdottir, Emma; Holm, Lars-Erik; Lien, Sigbjørn; Danell, Birgitta; Adalsteinsson, Stefan

2000-01-01

Gene frequencies of coat colour and horn types were assessed in 22 Nordic cattle breeds in a project aimed at establishing genetic profiles of the breeds under study. The coat colour loci yielding information on genetic variation were: extension, agouti, spotting, brindle, dun dilution and colour sided. The polled locus was assessed for two alleles. A profound variation between breeds was observed in the frequencies of both colour and horn alleles, with the older breeds generally showing greater variation in observed colour, horn types and segregating alleles than the modern breeds. The correspondence between the present genetic distance matrix and previous molecular marker distance matrices was low (r = 0.08 – 0.12). The branching pattern of a neighbour-joining tree disagreed to some extent with the molecular data structure. The current data indicates that 70% of the total genetic variation could be explained by differences between the breeds, suggesting a much greater breed differentiation than typically found at protein and microsatellite loci. The marked differentiation of the cattle breeds and observed disagreements with the results from the previous molecular data in the topology of the phylogenetic trees are most likely a result of selection on phenotypic characters analysed in this study. PMID:14736370

Mitochondrial DNA variants of Podolian cattle breeds testify for a dual maternal origin.

PubMed

Di Lorenzo, Piera; Lancioni, Hovirag; Ceccobelli, Simone; Colli, Licia; Cardinali, Irene; Karsli, Taki; Capodiferro, Marco Rosario; Sahin, Emine; Ferretti, Luca; Ajmone Marsan, Paolo; Sarti, Francesca Maria; Lasagna, Emiliano; Panella, Francesco; Achilli, Alessandro

2018-01-01

Over the past 15 years, 300 out of 6000 breeds of all farm animal species identified by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have gone extinct. Among cattle, many Podolian breeds are seriously endangered in various European areas. Podolian cattle include a group of very ancient European breeds, phenotypically close to the aurochs ancestors (Bos primigenius). The aim of the present study was to assess the genetic diversity of Podolian breeds and to reconstruct their origin. The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control-regions of 18 Podolian breeds have been phylogenetically assessed. Nine non-Podolian breeds have been also included for comparison. The overall analysis clearly highlights some peculiarities in the mtDNA gene pool of some Podolian breeds. In particular, a principal component analysis point to a genetic proximity between five breeds (Chianina, Marchigiana, Maremmana, Podolica Italiana and Romagnola) reared in Central Italy and the Turkish Grey. We here propose the suggestive hypothesis of a dual ancestral contribution to the present gene pool of Podolian breeds, one deriving from Eastern European cattle; the other arising from the arrival of Middle Eastern cattle into Central Italy through a different route, perhaps by sea, ferried by Etruscan boats. The historical migration of Podolian cattle from North Eastern Europe towards Italy has not cancelled the mtDNA footprints of this previous ancient migration.

Next generation sequencing gives an insight into the characteristics of highly selected breeds versus non-breed horses in the course of domestication.

PubMed

Metzger, Julia; Tonda, Raul; Beltran, Sergi; Agueda, Lídia; Gut, Marta; Distl, Ottmar

2014-07-04

Domestication has shaped the horse and lead to a group of many different types. Some have been under strong human selection while others developed in close relationship with nature. The aim of our study was to perform next generation sequencing of breed and non-breed horses to provide an insight into genetic influences on selective forces. Whole genome sequencing of five horses of four different populations revealed 10,193,421 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 1,361,948 insertion/deletion polymorphisms (indels). In comparison to horse variant databases and previous reports, we were able to identify 3,394,883 novel SNPs and 868,525 novel indels. We analyzed the distribution of individual variants and found significant enrichment of private mutations in coding regions of genes involved in primary metabolic processes, anatomical structures, morphogenesis and cellular components in non-breed horses and in contrast to that private mutations in genes affecting cell communication, lipid metabolic process, neurological system process, muscle contraction, ion transport, developmental processes of the nervous system and ectoderm in breed horses. Our next generation sequencing data constitute an important first step for the characterization of non-breed in comparison to breed horses and provide a large number of novel variants for future analyses. Functional annotations suggest specific variants that could play a role for the characterization of breed or non-breed horses.

Towards a sustainable livestock production in developing countries and the importance of animal health strategy therein.

PubMed

Kaasschieter, G A; de Jong, R; Schiere, J B; Zwart, D

1992-04-01

Livestock and animal health development projects have not always led to substantial increases in animal productivity or in farmers' welfare. Some have even resulted in unsustainable systems, when they were not based on an understanding of (livestock) production systems. The multipurpose functions of livestock and complex relationships between the biological, technical and social components require a systems approach, whereby nutrition, animal health, breeding, biotechnology knowhow, inputs and technologies are used to optimise resource use. The challenge for developed and developing countries is to reverse the current degradation of the environment, and arrive at sustainable increases in crop and livestock production to secure present and future food supplies. For rural development, governments should show long term commitment and political will to support the rural population in development programmes, because smallholders (including women and landless livestock keepers) represent a large labour force in developing countries. Different systems need different approaches. Pastoral systems must focus on effective management of grazing pressure of the rangelands. Communal rangelands management involves not only the development and application of technologies (e.g. feedlots, vaccination campaigns), but also land tenure policies, institutional development, economic return and a reduction in the number of people depending upon livestock. Smallholder mixed farms must aim at intensification of the total production system, in which external inputs are indispensable, but with the emphasis on optimum input-output relationships by reducing resource losses due to poor management. Resource-poor farming systems must aim at the improved management of the various livestock species in backyards and very small farms, and proper packages for cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats, rabbits and poultry should be developed. Specialised commercial livestock farming systems (poultry, pigs, dairy or meat) can only be sustainable with adequate marketing, supply of quality feed, veterinary services, labour, management and control of pollution. Animal health programmes play a keyrole in the proposed system approach.

Industry benefits from recent genetic progress in sheep and beef populations.

PubMed

Amer, P R; Nieuwhof, G J; Pollott, G E; Roughsedge, T; Conington, J; Simm, G

2007-11-01

An analytical model that evaluates the benefits from 10 years of genetic improvement over a 20-year time frame was specified. Estimates of recent genetic trends in recorded traits, industry statistics and published estimates of the economic values of trait changes were used to parameterise the model for the UK sheep and beef industries. Despite rates of genetic change in the relevant performance-recorded breeding populations being substantially less than theoretical predictions, the financial benefits of genetic change were substantial. Over 20 years, the benefits from 10 years of genetic progress at recently achieved rates in recorded hill sheep, sheep crossing sire and sheep terminal sire breeding programmes was estimated to be £5.3, £1.0 and £11.5 million, respectively. If dissemination of genetic material is such that these rates of change are also realised across the entire ram breeding industry, the combined benefits would be £110.8 million. For beef cattle, genetic evaluation systems have been operating within all the major breeds for some years with quite widespread use of performance recording, and so genetic trends within the beef breeds were used as predictors of industry genetic change. Benefits from 10 years of genetic progress at recent rates of change, considering a 20-year time frame, in terminal sire beef breeds are expected to be £4.9 million. Benefits from genetic progress for growth and carcass characters in dual-purpose beef breeds were £18.2 million after subtraction of costs associated with a deterioration in calving traits. These benefits may be further offset by unfavourable associated changes in maternal traits. Additional benefits from identification and use of the best animals available from the breeding sector for commercial matings through performance recording and genetic evaluation could not be quantified. When benefits of genetic improvement were expressed on an annual present value basis and compared with lagged annual investment costs to achieve it, the internal rate of return (IRR) on the combined investment in sheep and beef cattle was 32%. Despite a much higher rate of participation in performance recording, the present value of benefits and the IRR were lower for beef cattle than for sheep. The implications of these results for future national and industry investment in genetic improvement infrastructure were discussed.

Vocabulary Knowledge and Growth in Immersion and Regular Language-Learning Programmes in Hong Kong

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lo, Yuen Yi; Murphy, Victoria A.

2010-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate vocabulary knowledge and growth across two different language-learning programmes in Hong Kong. The two programmes compared were English immersion programmes (IM) and regular English second-language programmes (RL2). While previous research has identified an overall advantage to IM with respect to language…

P53 Suppression of Homologous Recombination and Tumorigenesis

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

huge strides have been made in the numbers of mice breed and relevant cells collected for the purposes of experiments outlined in the aims below. The PI... breeding colony of R172P, R172H, Wild type and p53 null mice in order to have sufficient numbers of animals to perform the in vivo pun assay. Mouse...Strains and Breeding Cohorts Mice heterozygous for the point mutations p53R172P and p53R172H both on a C57BL/6 genetic background were kindly

Effects of insecticides on a phytotelmata-breeding amphibian.

PubMed

Egea-Serrano, Andrés; Solé, Mirco

2017-02-01

Information on the impact of pesticides on amphibian species breeding in phytotelmata (water bodies within plants) is totally lacking. The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of the insecticide malathion on larvae of Phyllodytes luteolus. Individuals were exposed to ecologically relevant concentrations of malathion (commercial formulation) for 16 d under laboratory conditions. Malathion had a lethal effect that allowed the authors to hypothesize that phtytotelmata-breeding species are likely as vulnerable to pollution as pond breeders. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:422-428. © 2016 SETAC. © 2016 SETAC.

NRL Radar Division C++ Coding Standard

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-05

The coding standard provides tools aimed at helping C++ programmers develop programs that are free of common types of errors, maintainable by...different programmers , portable to other operating systems, easy to read and understand, and have a consistent style. Questions of design, such as how to...mandatory for any organization with quality goals. The purpose of this standard is to provide tools aimed at helping C++ programmers develop programs that

Quantitative genetic properties of four measures of deformity in yellowtail kingfish Seriola lalandi Valenciennes, 1833.

PubMed

Nguyen, N H; Whatmore, P; Miller, A; Knibb, W

2016-02-01

The main aim of this study was to estimate the heritability for four measures of deformity and their genetic associations with growth (body weight and length), carcass (fillet weight and yield) and flesh-quality (fillet fat content) traits in yellowtail kingfish Seriola lalandi. The observed major deformities included lower jaw, nasal erosion, deformed operculum and skinny fish on 480 individuals from 22 families at Clean Seas Tuna Ltd. They were typically recorded as binary traits (presence or absence) and were analysed separately by both threshold generalized models and standard animal mixed models. Consistency of the models was evaluated by calculating simple Pearson correlation of breeding values of full-sib families for jaw deformity. Genetic and phenotypic correlations among traits were estimated using a multitrait linear mixed model in ASReml. Both threshold and linear mixed model analysis showed that there is additive genetic variation in the four measures of deformity, with the estimates of heritability obtained from the former (threshold) models on liability scale ranging from 0.14 to 0.66 (SE 0.32-0.56) and from the latter (linear animal and sire) models on original (observed) scale, 0.01-0.23 (SE 0.03-0.16). When the estimates on the underlying liability were transformed to the observed scale (0, 1), they were generally consistent between threshold and linear mixed models. Phenotypic correlations among deformity traits were weak (close to zero). The genetic correlations among deformity traits were not significantly different from zero. Body weight and fillet carcass showed significant positive genetic correlations with jaw deformity (0.75 and 0.95, respectively). Genetic correlation between body weight and operculum was negative (-0.51, P < 0.05). The genetic correlations' estimates of body and carcass traits with other deformity were not significant due to their relatively high standard errors. Our results showed that there are prospects for genetic selection to improve deformity in yellowtail kingfish and that measures of deformity should be included in the recording scheme, breeding objectives and selection index in practical selective breeding programmes due to the antagonistic genetic correlations of deformed jaws with body and carcass performance. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Preparing the prescription: a review of the aim and measurement of social referral programmes.

PubMed

Rempel, Emily S; Wilson, Emma N; Durrant, Hannah; Barnett, Julie

2017-10-12

Our aim is to review, and qualitatively evaluate, the aims and measures of social referral programmes. Our first objective is to identify the aims of social referral initiatives. Our second objective is to identify the measures used to evaluate whether the aims of social referral were met. Literature review. Social referral programmes, also called social prescribing and emergency case referral, link primary and secondary healthcare with community services, often under the guise of decreasing health system costs. Following the PRISMA guidelines, we undertook a literature review to address that aim. We searched in five academic online databases and in one online non-academic search engine, including both academic and grey literature, for articles referring to 'social prescribing' or 'community referral'. We identified 41 relevant articles and reports. After extracting the aims, measures and type of study, we found that most social referral programmes aimed to address a wide variety of system and individual health problems. This included cost savings, resource reallocation and improved mental, physical and social well-being. Across the 41 studies and reports, there were 154 different kinds of measures or methods of evaluation identified. Of these, the most commonly used individual measure was the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, used in nine studies and reports. These inconsistencies in aims and measures used pose serious problems when social prescribing and other referral programmes are often advertised as a solution to health services-budgeting constraints, as well as a range of chronic mental and physical health conditions. We recommend researchers and local community organisers alike to critically evaluate for whom, where and why their social referral programmes 'work'. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Implications of genetic selection on yolk proportion on the dry matter content of eggs in a White Leghorn population.

PubMed

Icken, W; Looft, C; Schellander, K; Cavero, D; Blanco, A; Schmutz, M; Preisinger, R

2014-01-01

1. The responses to genetic selection on yolk proportion as a technique for increasing egg dry matter content, an important criterion for the egg-product industry, was investigated in a pedigree flock of White Leghorn hens. 2. Parents were preselected on high and low yolk proportion from a base population. The absolute estimated breeding value for yolk proportion of both groups differed by 3%. The realised selection difference in dry matter content of eggs between groups was more than 1% in the analysed offspring population. 3. Heritability estimates were moderate and dry matter had a lower heritability (h(2) = 0.39) than yolk proportion (h(2) = 0.44). 4. The genetic correlation between yolk proportion and dry matter content was highly positive (rg = 0.91). Genetic correlations with egg weight were negative and would have to be compensated for in a breeding programme (rg = -0.76 with yolk proportion and rg = -0.64 with dry matter content). The genetic correlation between the laying performance and yolk proportion was rg = 0.28 and close to zero (rg = -0.05) for dry matter content. 5. Easy recording and lower undesirable correlations make yolk proportion more suitable for commercial selection compared with egg dry matter content in layer breeding.

Exploration of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis to Improve Animal Welfare by Means of Genetic Selection: Lessons from the South African Merino.

PubMed

Hough, Denise; Swart, Pieter; Cloete, Schalk

2013-05-17

It is a difficult task to improve animal production by means of genetic selection, if the environment does not allow full expression of the animal's genetic potential. This concept may well be the future for animal welfare, because it highlights the need to incorporate traits related to production and robustness, simultaneously, to reach sustainable breeding goals. This review explores the identification of potential genetic markers for robustness within the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA), since this axis plays a vital role in the stress response. If genetic selection for superior HPAA responses to stress is possible, then it ought to be possible to breed robust and easily managed genotypes that might be able to adapt to a wide range of environmental conditions whilst expressing a high production potential. This approach is explored in this review by means of lessons learnt from research on Merino sheep, which were divergently selected for their multiple rearing ability. These two selection lines have shown marked differences in reproduction, production and welfare, which makes this breeding programme ideal to investigate potential genetic markers of robustness. The HPAA function is explored in detail to elucidate where such genetic markers are likely to be found.

Progress in modification of sunflower oil to expand its industrial value.

PubMed

Rauf, Saeed; Jamil, Nazia; Tariq, Sultan Ali; Khan, Maria; Kausar, Maria; Kaya, Yalcin

2017-05-01

Increasing the sunflower seed oil content as well as improving its quality makes it compatible for industrial demands. This is an important breeding objective of sunflower which increases its market value and ensures high returns for the producers. The present review focuses on determining the progress of improving sunflower seed oil content and modifying its quality by empirical and advanced molecular breeding methods. It is known that the sunflower oil content and quality have been altered through empirical selection methods and mutation breeding programmes in various parts of the world. Further improvement in seed oil content and its components (such as phytosterols, tocopherols and modified fatty acid profile) has been slowed down due to low genetic variation in elite germplasm and complex of hereditary traits. Introgression from wild species can be carried out to modify the fatty acids profile and tocopherol contents with linkage drags. Different transgenes introduced through biotechnological methods may produce novel long-chain fatty acids within sunflower oil. Bio-engineering of sunflower oil could allow it to be used in diverse industrial products such as bio-diesel or bio-plastics. These results showed that past and current trends of modifying sunflower oil quality are essential for its further expansion as an oilseed crop. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Evolutionary process of Bos taurus cattle in favourable versus unfavourable environments and its implications for genetic selection

PubMed Central

O'Neill, Christopher J; Swain, David L; Kadarmideen, Haja N

2010-01-01

The evolutionary processes that have enabled Bos taurus cattle to establish around the globe are at the core to the future success of livestock production. Our study focuses on the history of cattle domestication including the last 60 years of B. taurus breeding programmes in both favourable and unfavourable environments and its consequences on evolution and fitness of cattle. We discuss the emergence of ‘production diseases’ in temperate production systems and consider the evolutionary genetics of tropical adaptation in cattle and conclude that the Senepol, N'Dama, Adaptaur and Criollo breeds, among others with similar evolutionary trajectories, would possess genes capable of improving the productivity of cattle in challenging environments. Using our own experimental evidence from northern Australia, we review the evolution of the Adaptaur cattle breed which has become resistant to cattle tick. We emphasize that the knowledge of interactions between genotype, environment and management in the livestock systems will be required to generate genotypes for efficient livestock production that are both economically and environmentally sustainable. Livestock producers in the 21st century will have less reliance on infrastructure and veterinary products to alleviate environmental stress and more on the animal's ability to achieve fitness in a given production environment. PMID:25567936

Evolutionary process of Bos taurus cattle in favourable versus unfavourable environments and its implications for genetic selection.

PubMed

O'Neill, Christopher J; Swain, David L; Kadarmideen, Haja N

2010-09-01

The evolutionary processes that have enabled Bos taurus cattle to establish around the globe are at the core to the future success of livestock production. Our study focuses on the history of cattle domestication including the last 60 years of B. taurus breeding programmes in both favourable and unfavourable environments and its consequences on evolution and fitness of cattle. We discuss the emergence of 'production diseases' in temperate production systems and consider the evolutionary genetics of tropical adaptation in cattle and conclude that the Senepol, N'Dama, Adaptaur and Criollo breeds, among others with similar evolutionary trajectories, would possess genes capable of improving the productivity of cattle in challenging environments. Using our own experimental evidence from northern Australia, we review the evolution of the Adaptaur cattle breed which has become resistant to cattle tick. We emphasize that the knowledge of interactions between genotype, environment and management in the livestock systems will be required to generate genotypes for efficient livestock production that are both economically and environmentally sustainable. Livestock producers in the 21st century will have less reliance on infrastructure and veterinary products to alleviate environmental stress and more on the animal's ability to achieve fitness in a given production environment.

Engineering a future for amphibians under climate change

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shoo, L.P.; Olson, D.H.; Mcmenamin, S.K.; Murray, K.A.; Van Sluys, M.; Donnelly, M.A.; Stratford, D.; Terhivuo, J.; Merino-Viteri, A.; Herbert, S.M.; Bishop, P.J.; Corn, P.S.; Dovey, L.; Griffiths, R.A.; Lowe, K.; Mahony, M.; McCallum, H.; Shuker, J.D.; Simpkins, C.; Skerratt, L.F.; Williams, S.E.; Hero, J.-M.

2011-01-01

1. Altered global climates in the 21st century pose serious threats for biological systems and practical actions are needed to mount a response for species at risk. 2. We identify management actions from across the world and from diverse disciplines that are applicable to minimizing loss of amphibian biodiversity under climate change. Actions were grouped under three thematic areas of intervention: (i) installation of microclimate and microhabitat refuges; (ii) enhancement and restoration of breeding sites; and (iii) manipulation of hydroperiod or water levels at breeding sites. 3. Synthesis and applications. There are currently few meaningful management actions that will tangibly impact the pervasive threat of climate change on amphibians. A host of potentially useful but poorly tested actions could be incorporated into local or regional management plans, programmes and activities for amphibians. Examples include: installation of irrigation sprayers to manipulate water potentials at breeding sites; retention or supplementation of natural and artificial shelters (e.g. logs, cover boards) to reduce desiccation and thermal stress; manipulation of canopy cover over ponds to reduce water temperature; and, creation of hydrologoically diverse wetland habitats capable of supporting larval development under variable rainfall regimes. We encourage researchers and managers to design, test and scale up new initiatives to respond to this emerging crisis.

A Qualitative Evidence of the Breeding Sites of Anopheles arabiensis Patton (Diptera: Culicidae) in and Around Kassala Town, Eastern Sudan

PubMed Central

Hamza, Asma Mahmoud; El Rayah, El Amin

2016-01-01

Anopheles arabiensis Patton (Diptera: Culicidae) is considered the most efficient malaria vector in eastern Sudan. This study aims to characterize the breeding sites of An. arabiensis throughout the year in and around Kassala town, eastern Sudan. Diverse larval habitat types were visited and characterized based on the habitat type and chemical composition. Mosquito larvae were found in many diverse habitats. During the rainy season, rain pools and water bodies created by the seasonal Gash River serve as the main breeding sites. In the dry season, irrigation canals, seepage from water pipes, neglected wells, artificial containers, and man-made ditches serve as the main breeding sites. Breeding water showed a pH of 7.9 and a low concentration of the total dissolved salts. The results of this study may be considered in planning and implementing larval control programs in the area. PMID:27547039

Mapping in an apple (Malus x domestica) F1 segregating population based on physical clustering of differentially expressed genes

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Background: Apple tree breeding is slow and difficult due to long generation times, self incompatibility, and complex genetics. The identification of molecular markers linked to traits of interest is a way to expedite the breeding process. In the present study, we aimed to identify genes whose stead...

Public Health Interventions for Aedes Control in the Time of Zikavirus– A Meta-Review on Effectiveness of Vector Control Strategies

PubMed Central

Bouzid, Maha; Brainard, Julii; Hooper, Lee; Hunter, Paul R.

2016-01-01

Background There is renewed interest in effective measures to control Zika and dengue vectors. A synthesis of published literature with a focus on the quality of evidence is warranted to determine the effectiveness of vector control strategies. Methodology We conducted a meta-review assessing the effectiveness of any Aedes control measure. We searched Scopus and Medline for relevant reviews through to May 2016. Titles, abstracts and full texts were assessed independently for inclusion by two authors. Data extraction was performed in duplicate and validity of the evidence was assessed using GRADE criteria. Findings 13 systematic reviews that investigated the effect of control measures on entomological parameters or disease incidence were included. Biological controls seem to achieve better reduction of entomological indices than chemical controls, while educational campaigns can reduce breeding habitats. Integrated vector control strategies may not always increase effectiveness. The efficacy of any control programme is dependent on local settings, intervention type, resources and study duration, which may partly explain the varying degree of success between studies. Nevertheless, the quality of evidence was mostly low to very low due to poor reporting of study design, observational methodologies, heterogeneity, and indirect outcomes, thus hindering an evidence-based recommendation. Conclusions The evidence for the effectiveness of Aedes control measures is mixed. Chemical control, which is commonly used, does not appear to be associated with sustainable reductions of mosquito populations over time. Indeed, by contributing to a false sense of security, chemical control may reduce the effectiveness of educational interventions aimed at encouraging local people to remove mosquito breeding sites. Better quality studies of the impact of vector control interventions on the incidence of human infections with Dengue or Zika are still needed. PMID:27926934

Caprine prion gene polymorphisms are associated with decreased incidence of classical scrapie in goat herds in the United Kingdom

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

The application of genetic breeding programmes to eradicate transmissible spongiform encephalopathies in goats is an important aim for reasons of animal welfare as well as human food safety and food security. Based on the positive impact of Prnp genetics on sheep scrapie in Europe in the past decade, we have established caprine Prnp gene variation in more than 1100 goats from the United Kingdom and studied the association of Prnp alleles with disease phenotypes in 150 scrapie-positive goats. This investigation confirms the association of the Met142 encoding Prnp allele with increased resistance to preclinical and clinical scrapie. It reveals a novel association of the Ser127 encoding allele with a reduced probability to develop clinical signs of scrapie in goats that are already positive for the accumulation of disease-specific prion protein in brain or periphery. A United Kingdom survey of Prnp genotypes in eight common breeds revealed eleven alleles in over thirty genotypes. The Met142 encoding allele had a high overall mean allele frequency of 22.6%, whereas the Ser127 encoding allele frequency was considerably lower with 6.4%. In contrast, a well known resistance associated allele encoding Lys222 was found to be rare (0.9%) in this survey. The analysis of Prnp genotypes in Mexican Criollas goats revealed nine alleles, including a novel Phe to Leu substitution in codon 201, confirming that high genetic variability of Prnp can be found in scrapie-free populations. Our study implies that it should be feasible to lower scrapie prevalence in goat herds in the United Kingdom by genetic selection. PMID:22040234

Identifying traits for genotypic adaptation using crop models.

PubMed

Ramirez-Villegas, Julian; Watson, James; Challinor, Andrew J

2015-06-01

Genotypic adaptation involves the incorporation of novel traits in crop varieties so as to enhance food productivity and stability and is expected to be one of the most important adaptation strategies to future climate change. Simulation modelling can provide the basis for evaluating the biophysical potential of crop traits for genotypic adaptation. This review focuses on the use of models for assessing the potential benefits of genotypic adaptation as a response strategy to projected climate change impacts. Some key crop responses to the environment, as well as the role of models and model ensembles for assessing impacts and adaptation, are first reviewed. Next, the review describes crop-climate models can help focus the development of future-adapted crop germplasm in breeding programmes. While recently published modelling studies have demonstrated the potential of genotypic adaptation strategies and ideotype design, it is argued that, for model-based studies of genotypic adaptation to be used in crop breeding, it is critical that modelled traits are better grounded in genetic and physiological knowledge. To this aim, two main goals need to be pursued in future studies: (i) a better understanding of plant processes that limit productivity under future climate change; and (ii) a coupling between genetic and crop growth models-perhaps at the expense of the number of traits analysed. Importantly, the latter may imply additional complexity (and likely uncertainty) in crop modelling studies. Hence, appropriately constraining processes and parameters in models and a shift from simply quantifying uncertainty to actually quantifying robustness towards modelling choices are two key aspects that need to be included into future crop model-based analyses of genotypic adaptation. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

A Teacher Competence Development Programme for Supporting Students' Reflection Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dekker-Groen, Agaath M.; van der Schaaf, Marieke F.; Stokking, Karel M.

2013-01-01

This study aimed to evaluate a training programme for Dutch teachers in six institutes for nursing education to support students' reflection skills. The research question was: what are the feasibility, quality and effects of the programme? The training programme focused on four competences of teachers regarding instructing, guiding, giving…

Feasibility of semen collection in red-winged tinamou (Rhynchotus rufescens) by manual stimulation and sazonality implications.

PubMed

Paranzini, Cristiane Sella; Correia, Luiz Eduardo Cruz Dos Santos; de Camargo, Laiza Sartori; Silva, Kelry Mayara; de França, Tatyana Mendes; Silva, Josineudson Augusto de Vasconcelos; Veiga, Nabor; de Souza, Fabiana Ferreira

2018-02-01

This study aimed to report in detail, the technique and challenges of cloacal massage, to collect and evaluate semen from red-winged tinamou (Rhynchotus rufescens) keep in captivity, performed by only one technician. Sixty-four semen collection attempts, from 16 adult males, during breeding season and 16 attempts form these same 16 males in non-breeding season, were performed. Prior to collection, all animals were conditioned to cloacal massage for 6 weeks and the ejaculates were succeed with viable spermatozoa and then, evaluated for feces, urine and mucus contamination, volume, concentration, sperm vigor, motility, morphological defects and acrosome integrity. Semen collection success rate was 63% in breeding season and 2 (5%) samples were discarded by grade 5 contamination. Only 3 ejaculates from 16 tinamou were obtained in non-breeding season. Sperm concentration and acrosome integrity was higher (p = 0.00) in breeding season, and the percentage of total sperm morphological defects, were high in both in breeding and out breeding season. Overall, we concluded that the red-winged tinamou breeding season, is linked to photoperiod (spring and summer), and at this period time, semen can be obtained by cloacal massage collection satisfactorily, allowing its use in reproduction biotechnologies and sperm cryopreservation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Morphometrics within dog breeds are highly reproducible and dispute Rensch’s rule

PubMed Central

Sutter, Nathan B.; Mosher, Dana S.; Gray, Melissa M.

2009-01-01

Using 27 body measurements, we have identified 13 breed-defining metrics for 109 of 159 domestic dog breeds, most of which are recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC). The data set included 1,155 dogs at least 1 year old (average 5.4 years), and for 53 breed populations, complete measurement data were collected from at least three males and three females. We demonstrate, first, that AKC breed standards are rigorously adhered to for most domestic breeds with little variation observed within breeds. Second, Rensch’s rule, which describes a scaling among taxa such that sexual dimorphism is greater among larger species if males are the larger sex, with less pronounced differences in male versus female body size in smaller species, is not maintained in domestic dog breeds because the proportional size difference between males and females of small and large breeds is essentially the same. Finally, principal components (PCs) analysis describes both the overall body size (PC1) and the shape (length versus width) of the skeleton (PC2). That the integrity of the data set is sufficiently rich to discern PCs has strong implications for mapping studies, suggesting that individual measurements may not be needed for genetic studies of morphologic traits, particularly in the case of breed-defining traits that are typically under strong selection. Rather, phenotypes derived from data sets such as these, collected at a fraction of the effort and cost, may be used to direct whole-genome association studies aimed at understanding the genetic basis of fixed morphologic phenotypes defining distinct dog breeds. PMID:19020935

Breeding implications resulting from classification of patellae luxation in dogs.

PubMed

van Grevenhof, E M; Hazewinkel, H A W; Heuven, H C M

2016-08-01

Patellar luxation (PL) is one of the major hereditary orthopaedic abnormalities observed in a variety of dog breeds. When the patellae move sideways out of the trochlear groove, this is called PL. The PL score varies between dogs from normal to very severe. Reducing the prevalence of PL by breeding could prevent surgery, thereby improve welfare. Orthopaedic specialists differentiate between normal and loose patellae, where the patellae can be moved to the edge of the trochlear groove, considering scoring loose patellae as normal in the future. Loose patellae are considered acceptable for breeding so far by the breeding organization. The aim of this study was to analyse the genetic background of PL to decide on the importance of loose patellae when breeding for healthy dogs. Data are available from two dog breeds, that is Flat-coated Retrievers (n = 3808) and Kooiker dogs (n = 794), with a total of 4602 dogs. Results show that loose patellae indicate that dogs are genetically more susceptible to develop PL because family members of the dogs with loose patellae showed more severe PL. In addition, the estimated breeding values for dogs with loose patellae indicate that breeding values of dogs with loose patellae were worse than breeding values obtained for dogs with a normal score. Given these results, it is advised to orthopaedic specialists to continue to score loose patellae as a separate class and to dog breeders to minimize the use of dogs in breeding with a genetically higher susceptibility for PL. © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Genomic selection needs to be carefully assessed to meet specific requirements in livestock breeding programs

PubMed Central

Jonas, Elisabeth; de Koning, Dirk-Jan

2015-01-01

Genomic selection is a promising development in agriculture, aiming improved production by exploiting molecular genetic markers to design novel breeding programs and to develop new markers-based models for genetic evaluation. It opens opportunities for research, as novel algorithms and lab methodologies are developed. Genomic selection can be applied in many breeds and species. Further research on the implementation of genomic selection (GS) in breeding programs is highly desirable not only for the common good, but also the private sector (breeding companies). It has been projected that this approach will improve selection routines, especially in species with long reproduction cycles, late or sex-limited or expensive trait recording and for complex traits. The task of integrating GS into existing breeding programs is, however, not straightforward. Despite successful integration into breeding programs for dairy cattle, it has yet to be shown how much emphasis can be given to the genomic information and how much additional phenotypic information is needed from new selection candidates. Genomic selection is already part of future planning in many breeding companies of pigs and beef cattle among others, but further research is needed to fully estimate how effective the use of genomic information will be for the prediction of the performance of future breeding stock. Genomic prediction of production in crossbreeding and across-breed schemes, costs and choice of individuals for genotyping are reasons for a reluctance to fully rely on genomic information for selection decisions. Breeding objectives are highly dependent on the industry and the additional gain when using genomic information has to be considered carefully. This review synthesizes some of the suggested approaches in selected livestock species including cattle, pig, chicken, and fish. It outlines tasks to help understanding possible consequences when applying genomic information in breeding scenarios. PMID:25750652

Genomic selection needs to be carefully assessed to meet specific requirements in livestock breeding programs.

PubMed

Jonas, Elisabeth; de Koning, Dirk-Jan

2015-01-01

Genomic selection is a promising development in agriculture, aiming improved production by exploiting molecular genetic markers to design novel breeding programs and to develop new markers-based models for genetic evaluation. It opens opportunities for research, as novel algorithms and lab methodologies are developed. Genomic selection can be applied in many breeds and species. Further research on the implementation of genomic selection (GS) in breeding programs is highly desirable not only for the common good, but also the private sector (breeding companies). It has been projected that this approach will improve selection routines, especially in species with long reproduction cycles, late or sex-limited or expensive trait recording and for complex traits. The task of integrating GS into existing breeding programs is, however, not straightforward. Despite successful integration into breeding programs for dairy cattle, it has yet to be shown how much emphasis can be given to the genomic information and how much additional phenotypic information is needed from new selection candidates. Genomic selection is already part of future planning in many breeding companies of pigs and beef cattle among others, but further research is needed to fully estimate how effective the use of genomic information will be for the prediction of the performance of future breeding stock. Genomic prediction of production in crossbreeding and across-breed schemes, costs and choice of individuals for genotyping are reasons for a reluctance to fully rely on genomic information for selection decisions. Breeding objectives are highly dependent on the industry and the additional gain when using genomic information has to be considered carefully. This review synthesizes some of the suggested approaches in selected livestock species including cattle, pig, chicken, and fish. It outlines tasks to help understanding possible consequences when applying genomic information in breeding scenarios.

A comparative study of clinical manifestations, haematological and serological responses after experimental infection with Anaplasma phagocytophilum in two Norwegian sheep breeds

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background It has been questioned if the old native Norwegian sheep breed, Old Norse Sheep (also called Norwegian Feral Sheep), normally distributed on coastal areas where ticks are abundant, is more protected against tick-borne infections than other Norwegian breeds due to a continuously high selection pressure on pasture. The aim of the present study was to test this hypothesis in an experimental infection study. Methods Five-months-old lambs of two Norwegian sheep breeds, Norwegian White (NW) sheep and Old Norse (ON) sheep, were experimentally infected with a 16S rRNA genetic variant of Anaplasma phagocytophilum (similar to GenBank accession number M73220). The experiment was repeated for two subsequent years, 2008 and 2009, with the use of 16 lambs of each breed annually. Ten lambs of each breed were inoculated intravenously each year with 0.4 ml A. phagocytophilum-infected blood containing approximately 0.5 × 106 infected neutrophils/ml. Six lambs of each breed were used as uninfected controls. Half of the primary inoculated lambs in each breed were re-challenged with the same infectious dose at nine (2008) and twelve (2009) weeks after the first challenge. The clinical, haematological and serological responses to A. phagocytophilum infection were compared in the two sheep breeds. Results The present study indicates a difference in fever response and infection rate between breeds of Norwegian sheep after experimental infection with A. phagocytophilum. Conclusion Although clinical response seems to be less in ON-lambs compared to NW-lambs, further studies including more animals are needed to evaluate if the ON-breed is more protected against tick-borne infections than other Norwegian breeds. PMID:21314927

A deterministic evaluation of heat stress mitigation and feed cost under climate change within the smallholder dairy sector.

PubMed

York, L; Heffernan, C; Rymer, C; Panda, N

2017-05-01

In the global South, dairying is often promoted as a means of poverty alleviation. Yet, under conditions of climate warming, little is known regarding the ability of small-scale dairy producers to maintain production and/or the robustness of possible adaptation options in meeting the challenges presented, particularly heat stress. The authors created a simple, deterministic model to explore the influence of breed and heat stress relief options on smallholder dairy farmers in Odisha, India. Breeds included indigenous Indian (non-descript), low-grade Jersey crossbreed and high-grade Jersey crossbreed. Relief strategies included providing shade, fanning and bathing. The impact of predicted critical global climate parameters, a 2°C and 4°C temperature rise were explored. A feed price scenario was modelled to illustrate the importance of feed in impact estimation. Feed costs were increased by 10% to 30%. Across the simulations, high-grade Jersey crossbreeds maintained higher milk yields, despite being the most sensitive to the negative effects of temperature. Low-capital relief strategies were the most effective at reducing heat stress impacts on household income. However, as feed costs increased the lower-grade Jersey crossbreed became the most profitable breed. The high-grade Jersey crossbreed was only marginally (4.64%) more profitable than the indigenous breed. The results demonstrate the importance of understanding the factors and practical trade-offs that underpin adaptation. The model also highlights the need for hot-climate dairying projects and programmes to consider animal genetic resources alongside environmentally sustainable adaptation measures for greatest poverty impact.

A review of some characteristics, socio-economic aspects and utilization of Zulu sheep: implications for conservation.

PubMed

Kunene, Nokuthula Winfred; Bezuidenhout, Carlos C; Nsahlai, Ignatius V; Nesamvuni, Edward A

2011-08-01

Zulu sheep are Nguni sheep of Zululand and are adapted to the harsh conditions of KwaZulu-Natal. They are used by rural farmers for economic purposes. Their numbers are declining, indicating a potential extinction threat. Knowledge of their phenotypic and genotypic characteristics is essential for conservation planning. In this review, there is a focus on the utilization, socio-economic aspects, phenotypic and genotypic characteristics as well as a proposed breeding programme. A survey has shown that rural farmers in the areas of northern KwaZulu-Natal prefer to keep this breed for its adaptability, resistance to diseases and meat quality. Zulu sheep are small-framed multi-coloured animals. Mature males weigh up to 38 kg and females up to 32 kg. Based on four morphological traits and live weight, phenotypic diversity between three populations was estimated at 48%. A genetic diversity between these three populations was estimated at 22%. Live weight of Zulu sheep can be estimated using the heart girth and wither height measurements. Scrotum circumference of young rams (up to 22 months old) is reliable for estimating the live weight. Animals that were characterized in the studies were grazed extensively and no supplements were provided. There is therefore a potential of weight increase if these animals are reared in a semi-extensive environment. An open nucleus breeding scheme is thus recommended for a sustainable use and conservation of this breed. For more conclusive results, larger numbers of phenotypic and genetic characteristics, in larger numbers of Zulu sheep populations, should be investigated.

Enhancing phosphorus and zinc acquisition efficiency in rice: a critical review of root traits and their potential utility in rice breeding.

PubMed

Rose, T J; Impa, S M; Rose, M T; Pariasca-Tanaka, J; Mori, A; Heuer, S; Johnson-Beebout, S E; Wissuwa, M

2013-07-01

Rice is the world's most important cereal crop and phosphorus (P) and zinc (Zn) deficiency are major constraints to its production. Where fertilizer is applied to overcome these nutritional constraints it comes at substantial cost to farmers and the efficiency of fertilizer use is low. Breeding crops that are efficient at acquiring P and Zn from native soil reserves or fertilizer sources has been advocated as a cost-effective solution, but would benefit from knowledge of genes and mechanisms that confer enhanced uptake of these nutrients by roots. This review discusses root traits that have been linked to P and Zn uptake in rice, including traits that increase mobilization of P/Zn from soils, increase the volume of soil explored by roots or root surface area to recapture solubilized nutrients, enhance the rate of P/Zn uptake across the root membrane, and whole-plant traits that affect root growth and nutrient capture. In particular, this review focuses on the potential for these traits to be exploited through breeding programmes to produce nutrient-efficient crop cultivars. Few root traits have so far been used successfully in plant breeding for enhanced P and Zn uptake in rice or any other crop. Insufficient genotypic variation for traits or the failure to enhance nutrient uptake under realistic field conditions are likely reasons for the limited success. More emphasis is needed on field studies in mapping populations or association panels to identify those traits and underlying genes that are able to enhance nutrient acquisition beyond the level already present in most cultivars.

Assortative mating among animals of captive and wild origin following experimental conservation releases

PubMed Central

Slade, Brendan; Parrott, Marissa L.; Paproth, Aleisha; Magrath, Michael J. L.; Gillespie, Graeme R.; Jessop, Tim S.

2014-01-01

Captive breeding is a high profile management tool used for conserving threatened species. However, the inevitable consequence of generations in captivity is broad scale and often-rapid phenotypic divergence between captive and wild individuals, through environmental differences and genetic processes. Although poorly understood, mate choice preference is one of the changes that may occur in captivity that could have important implications for the reintroduction success of captive-bred animals. We bred wild-caught house mice for three generations to examine mating patterns and reproductive outcomes when these animals were simultaneously released into multiple outdoor enclosures with wild conspecifics. At release, there were significant differences in phenotypic (e.g. body mass) and genetic measures (e.g. Gst and F) between captive-bred and wild adult mice. Furthermore, 83% of offspring produced post-release were of same source parentage, inferring pronounced assortative mating. Our findings suggest that captive breeding may affect mating preferences, with potentially adverse implications for the success of threatened species reintroduction programmes. PMID:25411380

Genetic parameters for meat quality traits of Australian lamb meat.

PubMed

Mortimer, S I; van der Werf, J H J; Jacob, R H; Hopkins, D L; Pannier, L; Pearce, K L; Gardner, G E; Warner, R D; Geesink, G H; Edwards, J E Hocking; Ponnampalam, E N; Ball, A J; Gilmour, A R; Pethick, D W

2014-02-01

Genetic parameters were estimated for a range of meat quality traits recorded on Australian lamb meat. Data were collected from Merino and crossbred progeny of Merino, terminal and maternal meat breed sires of the Information Nucleus programme. Lambs born between 2007 and 2010 (n=8968) were slaughtered, these being the progeny of 372 sires and 5309 dams. Meat quality traits were found generally to be of moderate heritability (estimates between 0.15 and 0.30 for measures of meat tenderness, meat colour, polyunsaturated fat content, mineral content and muscle oxidative capacity), with notable exceptions of intramuscular fat (0.48), ultimate pH (0.08) and fresh meat colour a* (0.08) and b* (0.10) values. Genetic correlations between hot carcass weight and the meat quality traits were low. The genetic correlation between intramuscular fat and shear force was high (-0.62). Several measures of meat quality (fresh meat redness, retail meat redness, retail oxy/met value and iron content) appear to have potential for inclusion in meat sheep breeding objectives. © 2013.

The effect of intra-uterine devices on the reproductive physiology and behaviour of pony mares.

PubMed

Argo, C M; Turnbull, E B

2010-10-01

Spherical (35 mm diameter) glass intra-uterine devices (IUDs) are commonly understood to modify sexual behaviour in performance mares. The effect of IUDs on the endocrinology (luteinising hormone, oestradiol, progesterone, testosterone), ovarian and uterine function, sexual and social behaviours associated with the ovarian cycle were evaluated during the natural breeding season in nine, nuliparous pony mares (4.6±0.5 years old, 230±12 kg bodyweight). Age and weight-matched groups were allocated to sham-treatment (n=5) or IUD-implantation (n=4) groups. Fifty complete ovarian cycles were evaluated, with 26 ovarian cycles monitored for the nine mares prior to treatment and a further 12 cycles were evaluated for mares in each of the groups post-treatment. Detailed characterisation of cyclic reproductive changes in the pony may be of value for controlled breeding programmes. The presence of an IUD was well-tolerated, but failed to modify any recorded aspect of reproductive physiology or behaviour. Crown Copyright © 2009. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

MtDNA diversity among four Portuguese autochthonous dog breeds: a fine-scale characterisation

PubMed Central

van Asch, Barbara; Pereira, Luísa; Pereira, Filipe; Santa-Rita, Pedro; Lima, Manuela; Amorim, António

2005-01-01

Background The picture of dog mtDNA diversity, as obtained from geographically wide samplings but from a small number of individuals per region or breed, has revealed weak geographic correlation and high degree of haplotype sharing between very distant breeds. We aimed at a more detailed picture through extensive sampling (n = 143) of four Portuguese autochthonous breeds – Castro Laboreiro Dog, Serra da Estrela Mountain Dog, Portuguese Sheepdog and Azores Cattle Dog-and comparatively reanalysing published worldwide data. Results Fifteen haplotypes belonging to four major haplogroups were found in these breeds, of which five are newly reported. The Castro Laboreiro Dog presented a 95% frequency of a new A haplotype, while all other breeds contained a diverse pool of existing lineages. The Serra da Estrela Mountain Dog, the most heterogeneous of the four Portuguese breeds, shared haplotypes with the other mainland breeds, while Azores Cattle Dog shared no haplotypes with the other Portuguese breeds. A review of mtDNA haplotypes in dogs across the world revealed that: (a) breeds tend to display haplotypes belonging to different haplogroups; (b) haplogroup A is present in all breeds, and even uncommon haplogroups are highly dispersed among breeds and continental areas; (c) haplotype sharing between breeds of the same region is lower than between breeds of different regions and (d) genetic distances between breeds do not correlate with geography. Conclusion MtDNA haplotype sharing occurred between Serra da Estrela Mountain dogs (with putative origin in the centre of Portugal) and two breeds in the north and south of the country-with the Castro Laboreiro Dog (which behaves, at the mtDNA level, as a sub-sample of the Serra da Estrela Mountain Dog) and the southern Portuguese Sheepdog. In contrast, the Azores Cattle Dog did not share any haplotypes with the other Portuguese breeds, but with dogs sampled in Northern Europe. This suggested that the Azores Cattle Dog descended maternally from Northern European dogs rather than Portuguese mainland dogs. A review of published mtDNA haplotypes identified thirteen non-Portuguese breeds with sufficient data for comparison. Comparisons between these thirteen breeds, and the four Portuguese breeds, demonstrated widespread haplotype sharing, with the greatest diversity among Asian dogs, in accordance with the central role of Asia in canine domestication. PMID:15972107

Genetic Diversity of Seven Cattle Breeds Inferred Using Copy Number Variations

PubMed Central

Pierce, Magretha D.; Dzama, Kennedy; Muchadeyi, Farai C.

2018-01-01

Copy number variations (CNVs) comprise deletions, duplications, and insertions found within the genome larger than 50 bp in size. CNVs are thought to be primary role-players in breed formation and adaptation. South Africa boasts a diverse ecology with harsh environmental conditions and a broad spectrum of parasites and diseases that pose challenges to livestock production. This has led to the development of composite cattle breeds which combine the hardiness of Sanga breeds and the production potential of the Taurine breeds. The prevalence of CNVs within these respective breeds of cattle and the prevalence of CNV regions (CNVRs) in their diversity, adaptation and production is however not understood. This study therefore aimed to ascertain the prevalence, diversity, and correlations of CNVRs within cattle breeds used in South Africa. Illumina Bovine SNP50 data and PennCNV were utilized to identify CNVRs within the genome of 287 animals from seven cattle breeds representing Sanga, Taurine, Composite, and cross breeds. Three hundred and fifty six CNVRs of between 36 kb to 4.1 Mb in size were identified. The null hypothesis that one CNVR loci is independent of another was tested using the GENEPOP software. One hunded and two and seven of the CNVRs in the Taurine and Sanga/Composite cattle breeds demonstrated a significant (p ≤ 0.05) association. PANTHER overrepresentation analyses of correlated CNVRs demonstrated significant enrichment of a number of biological processes, molecular functions, cellular components, and protein classes. CNVR genetic variation between and within breed group was measured using phiPT which allows intra-individual variation to be suppressed and hence proved suitable for measuring binary CNVR presence/absence data. Estimate PhiPT within and between breed variance was 2.722 and 0.518 respectively. Pairwise population PhiPT values corresponded with breed type, with Taurine Holstein and Angus breeds demonstrating no between breed CNVR variation. Phylogenetic trees were drawn. CNVRs primarily clustered animals of the same breed type together. This study successfully identified, characterized, and analyzed 356 CNVRs within seven cattle breeds. CNVR correlations were evident, with many more correlations being present among the exotic Taurine breeds. CNVR genetic diversity of Sanga, Taurine and Composite breeds was ascertained with breed types exposed to similar selection pressures demonstrating analogous incidences of CNVRs. PMID:29868114

Cost of microbial larviciding for malaria control in rural Tanzania.

PubMed

Rahman, Rifat; Lesser, Adriane; Mboera, Leonard; Kramer, Randall

2016-11-01

Microbial larviciding may be a potential supplement to conventional malaria vector control measures, but scant information on its relative implementation costs and effectiveness, especially in rural areas, is an impediment to expanding its uptake. We perform a costing analysis of a seasonal microbial larviciding programme in rural Tanzania. We evaluated the financial and economic costs from the perspective of the public provider of a 3-month, community-based larviciding intervention implemented in twelve villages in the Mvomero District of Tanzania in 2012-2013. Cost data were collected from financial reports and invoices and through discussion with programme administrators. Sensitivity analysis explored the robustness of our results to varying key parameters. Over the 2-year study period, approximately 6873 breeding sites were treated with larvicide. The average annual economic costs of the larviciding intervention in rural Tanzania are estimated at 2014 US$ 1.44 per person protected per year (pppy), US$ 6.18 per household and US$ 4481.88 per village, with the larvicide and staffing accounting for 14% and 58% of total costs, respectively. We found the costs pppy of implementing a seasonal larviciding programme in rural Tanzania to be comparable to the costs of other larviciding programmes in urban Tanzania and rural Kenya. Further research should evaluate the cost-effectiveness of larviciding relative to, and in combination with, other vector control strategies in rural settings. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Demography and disorders of the French Bulldog population under primary veterinary care in the UK in 2013.

PubMed

O'Neill, Dan G; Baral, Lauren; Church, David B; Brodbelt, Dave C; Packer, Rowena M A

2018-01-01

Despite its Gallic name, the French Bulldog is a breed of both British and French origin that was first recognised by The Kennel Club in 1906. The French Bulldog has demonstrated recent rapid rises in Kennel Club registrations and is now (2017) the second most commonly registered pedigree breed in the UK. However, the breed has been reported to be predisposed to several disorders including ocular, respiratory, neurological and dermatological problems. The VetCompass™ Programme collates de-identified clinical data from primary-care veterinary practices in the UK for epidemiological research. Using VetCompass™ clinical data, this study aimed to characterise the demography and common disorders of the general population of French Bulldogs under veterinary care in the UK. French Bulldogs comprised 2228 (0.49%) of 445,557 study dogs under veterinary care during 2013. Annual proportional birth rates showed that the proportional ownership of French Bulldog puppies rose steeply from 0.02% of the annual birth cohort attending VetCompass™ practices in 2003 to 1.46% in 2013. The median age of the French Bulldogs overall was 1.3 years (IQR 0.6-2.5, range 0.0-13.0). The most common colours of French Bulldogs were brindle (solid or main) (32.36%) and fawn (solid or main) (29.9%). Of the 2228 French Bulldogs under veterinary care during 2013, 1612 (72.4%) had at least one disorder recorded. The most prevalent fine-level precision disorders recorded were otitis externa (14.0%, 95% CI: 12.6-15.5), diarrhoea (7.5%, 95% CI: 6.4-8.7), conjunctivitis (3.2%, 95% CI: 2.5-4.0), nails overlong (3.1%, 95% CI% 2.4-3.9) and skin fold dermatitis (3.0%, 95% CI% 2.3-3.8). The most prevalent disorder groups were cutaneous (17.9%, 95% CI: 16.3-19.6), enteropathy (16.7%, 95% CI: 15.2-18.3), aural (16.3%, 95% CI: 14.8-17.9), upper respiratory tract (12.7%, 95% CI: 11.3-14.1) and ophthalmological (10.5%, 95% CI: 9.3-11.9). Ownership of French Bulldogs in the UK is rising steeply. This means that the disorder profiles reported in this study reflect a current young UK population and are likely to shift as this cohort ages. Otitis externa, diarrhoea and conjunctivitis were the most common disorders in French Bulldogs. Identification of health priorities based on VetCompass™ data can support evidence-based reforms to improve health and welfare within the breed.

Implementation of Open Educational Resources in a Nursing Programme: Experiences and Reflections

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elf, Marie; Ossiannilsson, Ebba; Neljesjö, Maria; Jansson, Monika

2015-01-01

The IMPOER project (implementation of open educational resources, OER) aimed to implement OER in a nursing programme at Dalarna University, Sweden. The university and its nursing programme have long engaged in e-learning, and the nursing programme has recently been awarded the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities E-xcellence…

Assigning breed origin to alleles in crossbred animals.

PubMed

Vandenplas, Jérémie; Calus, Mario P L; Sevillano, Claudia A; Windig, Jack J; Bastiaansen, John W M

2016-08-22

For some species, animal production systems are based on the use of crossbreeding to take advantage of the increased performance of crossbred compared to purebred animals. Effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may differ between purebred and crossbred animals for several reasons: (1) differences in linkage disequilibrium between SNP alleles and a quantitative trait locus; (2) differences in genetic backgrounds (e.g., dominance and epistatic interactions); and (3) differences in environmental conditions, which result in genotype-by-environment interactions. Thus, SNP effects may be breed-specific, which has led to the development of genomic evaluations for crossbred performance that take such effects into account. However, to estimate breed-specific effects, it is necessary to know breed origin of alleles in crossbred animals. Therefore, our aim was to develop an approach for assigning breed origin to alleles of crossbred animals (termed BOA) without information on pedigree and to study its accuracy by considering various factors, including distance between breeds. The BOA approach consists of: (1) phasing genotypes of purebred and crossbred animals; (2) assigning breed origin to phased haplotypes; and (3) assigning breed origin to alleles of crossbred animals based on a library of assigned haplotypes, the breed composition of crossbred animals, and their SNP genotypes. The accuracy of allele assignments was determined for simulated datasets that include crosses between closely-related, distantly-related and unrelated breeds. Across these scenarios, the percentage of alleles of a crossbred animal that were correctly assigned to their breed origin was greater than 90 %, and increased with increasing distance between breeds, while the percentage of incorrectly assigned alleles was always less than 2 %. For the remaining alleles, i.e. 0 to 10 % of all alleles of a crossbred animal, breed origin could not be assigned. The BOA approach accurately assigns breed origin to alleles of crossbred animals, even if their pedigree is not recorded.

A serological survey of accredited breeding colonies in the United Kingdom for common rodent viruses.

PubMed

Carthew, P; Verstraete, A

1978-01-01

This paper reports the results of a general survey, the first in the United Kingdom, carried out on accredited breeding colonies of mice, rats and guinea-pigs over a period of a year. While the results show the potential usefulness of a viral accreditation grading scheme, they also show that contamination of breeding colonies with inapparent viral infections is widespread. This situation can only be improved by the continuous monitoring of animal stocks for rodent viruses, with the aim of improving the standard of animals available for research and for pharmacological, toxicological and routine diagnostic procedures.

An integrative review of graduate transition programmes: Developmental considerations for nursing management.

PubMed

Bakon, Shannon; Craft, Judy; Wirihana, Lisa; Christensen, Martin; Barr, Jennie; Tsai, Lily

2018-01-01

Graduate transition programmes have been developed to recruit new nursing staff and facilitate an effective transition from nursing student to Registered Nurse within the clinical environment. Therefore the aim of this paper was to explore the various elements included in nursing graduate transition programmes. An integrative review was undertaken incorporating a strict inclusion criterion, critical appraisal, and thematic analysis of 30 studies. There are numerous transition programmes available yet there remains a lack of transparency regarding their aims/objectives, course content, support timeframe and the type of support provided. This inconsistency has resulted in a lack of clarity regarding efficacy or superiority of any one programme over another. Innovative multifaceted programs may assist in supporting the graduate registered nurse to transition effectively into the clinical environment. Providing these support programmes may allow nurse managers to recruit new graduates and therefore decrease the staff budget expenditure. No graduate programme was shown to be superior to others yet graduate programmes appear to positively influence the experience of the graduate and increase staff recruitment. Comparative research is needed to ascertain the integral components of these programmes. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Productive performance of the dairy cattle Girolando breed mediated by the fat-related genes DGAT1 and LEP and their polymorphisms.

PubMed

Cardoso, S R; Queiroz, L B; Goulart, V Alonso; Mourão, G B; Benedetti, E; Goulart, L R

2011-12-01

Candidate genes have been associated with milk production in bovines, such as the diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1) and leptin (LEP); however, they have not been simultaneously investigated nor have been evaluated in the Brazilian Girolando breed (Gir×Holstein, backcrossed to Holstein). Our aim was to determine the influence of fat-related genes, DGAT1 and LEP, and their polymorphisms on performance traits of milk production in the Girolando breed. Results indicated that the K allele of the DGAT1 gene showed a significant association with total and average daily milk production with additive effect. The LEP gene showed that the A allele and its homozygote are highly prevalent and almost fixed in this population and may have been favorably selected during backcrossing for the origin of this breed. The important impact of the K allele of the DGAT1 gene on milk production corroborates the initiative of performing marker-assisted selections with this gene in breeding programs of the Girolando breed. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Consequences of splitting whole-genome sequencing effort over multiple breeds on imputation accuracy.

PubMed

Bouwman, Aniek C; Veerkamp, Roel F

2014-10-03

The aim of this study was to determine the consequences of splitting sequencing effort over multiple breeds for imputation accuracy from a high-density SNP chip towards whole-genome sequence. Such information would assist for instance numerical smaller cattle breeds, but also pig and chicken breeders, who have to choose wisely how to spend their sequencing efforts over all the breeds or lines they evaluate. Sequence data from cattle breeds was used, because there are currently relatively many individuals from several breeds sequenced within the 1,000 Bull Genomes project. The advantage of whole-genome sequence data is that it carries the causal mutations, but the question is whether it is possible to impute the causal variants accurately. This study therefore focussed on imputation accuracy of variants with low minor allele frequency and breed specific variants. Imputation accuracy was assessed for chromosome 1 and 29 as the correlation between observed and imputed genotypes. For chromosome 1, the average imputation accuracy was 0.70 with a reference population of 20 Holstein, and increased to 0.83 when the reference population was increased by including 3 other dairy breeds with 20 animals each. When the same amount of animals from the Holstein breed were added the accuracy improved to 0.88, while adding the 3 other breeds to the reference population of 80 Holstein improved the average imputation accuracy marginally to 0.89. For chromosome 29, the average imputation accuracy was lower. Some variants benefitted from the inclusion of other breeds in the reference population, initially determined by the MAF of the variant in each breed, but even Holstein specific variants did gain imputation accuracy from the multi-breed reference population. This study shows that splitting sequencing effort over multiple breeds and combining the reference populations is a good strategy for imputation from high-density SNP panels towards whole-genome sequence when reference populations are small and sequencing effort is limiting. When sequencing effort is limiting and interest lays in multiple breeds or lines this provides imputation of each breed.

Genome elimination: translating basic research into a future tool for plant breeding.

PubMed

Comai, Luca

2014-06-01

During the course of our history, humankind has been through different periods of agricultural improvement aimed at enhancing our food supply and the performance of food crops. In recent years, it has become apparent that future crop improvement efforts will require new approaches to address the local challenges of farmers while empowering discovery across industry and academia. New plant breeding approaches are needed to meet this challenge to help feed a growing world population. Here I discuss how a basic research discovery is being translated into a potential future tool for plant breeding, and share the story of researcher Simon Chan, who recognized the potential application of this new approach--genome elimination--for the breeding of staple food crops in Africa and South America.

Mathematics Mastery: Secondary Evaluation Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jerrim, John; Austerberry, Helen; Crisan, Cosette; Ingold, Anne; Morgan, Candia; Pratt, Dave; Smith, Cathy; Wiggins, Meg

2015-01-01

The Mathematics Mastery programme is a whole-school approach to teaching mathematics that aims to raise attainment for all pupils and close the attainment gap between pupils from low income families and their peers. The programme aims to deepen pupils' conceptual understanding of key mathematical concepts. This clustered Randomised Controlled…

Phenotyping of Eggplant Wild Relatives and Interspecific Hybrids with Conventional and Phenomics Descriptors Provides Insight for Their Potential Utilization in Breeding

PubMed Central

Kaushik, Prashant; Prohens, Jaime; Vilanova, Santiago; Gramazio, Pietro; Plazas, Mariola

2016-01-01

Eggplant (Solanum melongena) is related to a large number of wild species that are a source of variation for breeding programmes, in particular for traits related to adaptation to climate change. However, wild species remain largely unexploited for eggplant breeding. Detailed phenotypic characterization of wild species and their hybrids with eggplant may allow identifying promising wild species and information on the genetic control and heterosis of relevant traits. We characterizated six eggplant accessions, 21 accessions of 12 wild species (the only primary genepool species S. insanum and 11 secondary genepool species) and 45 interspecific hybrids of eggplant with wild species (18 with S. insanum and 27 with secondary genepool species) using 27 conventional morphological descriptors and 20 fruit morphometric descriptors obtained with the phenomics tool Tomato Analyzer. Significant differences were observed among cultivated, wild and interspecific hybrid groups for 18 conventional and 18 Tomato Analyzer descriptors, with hybrids generally having intermediate values. Wild species were generally more variable than cultivated accessions and interspecific hybrids displayed intermediate ranges of variation and coefficient of variation (CV) values, except for fruit shape traits in which the latter were the most variable. The multivariate principal components analysis (PCA) reveals a clear separation of wild species and cultivated accessions. Interspecific hybrids with S. insanum plotted closer to cultivated eggplant, while hybrids with secondary genepool species generally clustered together with wild species. Many differences were observed among wild species for traits of agronomic interest, which allowed identifying species of greatest potential interest for eggplant breeding. Heterosis values were positive for most vigor-related traits, while for fruit size values were close to zero for hybrids with S. incanum and highly negative for hybrids with secondary genepool species. Our results allowed the identification of potentially interesting wild species and interspecific hybrids for introgression breeding in eggplant. This is an important step for broadening the genetic base of eggplant and for breeding for adaptation to climate change in this crop. PMID:27242876

Similar recent selection criteria associated with different behavioural effects in two dog breeds.

PubMed

Sundman, A-S; Johnsson, M; Wright, D; Jensen, P

2016-11-01

Selection during the last decades has split some established dog breeds into morphologically and behaviourally divergent types. These breed splits are interesting models for behaviour genetics since selection has often been for few and well-defined behavioural traits. The aim of this study was to explore behavioural differences between selection lines in golden and Labrador retriever, in both of which a split between a common type (pet and conformation) and a field type (hunting) has occurred. We hypothesized that the behavioural profiles of the types would be similar in both breeds. Pedigree data and results from a standardized behavioural test from 902 goldens (698 common and 204 field) and 1672 Labradors (1023 and 649) were analysed. Principal component analysis revealed six behavioural components: curiosity, play interest, chase proneness, social curiosity, social greeting and threat display. Breed and type affected all components, but interestingly there was an interaction between breed and type for most components. For example, in Labradors the common type had higher curiosity than the field type (F 1,1668 = 18.359; P < 0.001), while the opposite was found in goldens (F 1,897 = 65.201; P < 0.001). Heritability estimates showed considerable genetic contributions to the behavioural variations in both breeds, but different heritabilities between the types within breeds was also found, suggesting different selection pressures. In conclusion, in spite of similar genetic origin and similar recent selection criteria, types behave differently in the breeds. This suggests that the genetic architecture related to behaviour differs between the breeds. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society.

A genetic dissection of breed composition and performance enhancement in the Alaskan sled dog

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background The Alaskan sled dog offers a rare opportunity to investigate the development of a dog breed based solely on performance, rather than appearance, thus setting the breed apart from most others. Several established breeds, many of which are recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC), have been introduced into the sled dog population to enhance racing performance. We have used molecular methods to ascertain the constitutive breeds used to develop successful sled dog lines, and in doing so, determined the breed origins of specific performance-related behaviors. One hundred and ninety-nine Alaskan sled dogs were genotyped using 96 microsatellite markers that span the canine genome. These data were compared to that from 141 similarly genotyped purebred dog breeds. Sled dogs were evaluated for breed composition based on a variety of performance phenotypes including speed, endurance and work ethic, and the data stratified based on population structure. Results We observe that the Alaskan sled dog has a unique molecular signature and that the genetic profile is sufficient for identifying dogs bred for sprint versus distance. When evaluating contributions of existing breeds we find that the Alaskan Malamute and Siberian Husky contributions are associated with enhanced endurance; Pointer and Saluki are associated with enhanced speed and the Anatolian Shepherd demonstrates a positive influence on work ethic. Conclusion We have established a genetic breed profile for the Alaskan sled dog, identified profile variance between sprint and distance dogs, and established breeds associated with enhanced performance attributes. These data set the stage for mapping studies aimed at finding genes that are associated with athletic attributes integral to the high performing Alaskan sled dog. PMID:20649949

Inter- and intra-breed comparative study of sperm motility and viability in Iberian and Duroc boar semen during long-term storage in MR-A and XCell extenders.

PubMed

Martín-Hidalgo, D; Barón, F J; Robina, A; Bragado, M J; Llera, A Hurtado de; García-Marín, L J; Gil, M C

2013-06-01

During boar semen liquid preservation, extender is one of the factors that influence storage tolerance of spermatozoa. However, there are few studies about intra-breed variation in the preservation of semen quality during storage in different extenders. Similarly, boar breed is generally not considered a possible factor influencing variation in the semen storage tolerance in a particular extender. The aim of this study was to compare boar semen storage potential, in terms of the ability to maintain sperm viability and motility, of two currently used long-term extenders, MR-A and XCell. Extended semen from two breeds, Iberian and Duroc that had been stored at 17°C for up to 7 days was used. Intra- and inter-breed effect was studied. On Days 1, 4 and 7 (Day 0=day of semen collection), motility parameters and the percentage of total motile sperm and progressively motile sperm using a CASA system was evaluated. Viability (SYBR-14/PI) was evaluated by flow cytometry. Within each breed and for each storage day, there were differences between extenders, although semen tolerance to preservation was more influenced by the extender in the Iberian than in the Duroc breed. Neither breed nor extender influenced the percentage of viable spermatozoa during the storage time. Moreover, differences in motility parameters were observed between breeds, although the differences were greater when the XCell extender was used. In conclusion, both extender and breed influence motility characteristics of liquid-stored boar semen, so both aspects have to be considered in the design of comparative studies about stored boar semen quality from different breeds or with different extenders. Further studies are needed to corroborate these findings. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reproductive traits in captive and free-ranging males of the critically endangered Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus).

PubMed

Gañán, Natalia; Sestelo, Adrián; Garde, J Julián; Martínez, Fernando; Vargas, Astrid; Sánchez, Iñigo; Pérez-Aspa, María José; López-Bao, José Vicente; Palomares, Francisco; Gomendio, Montserrat; Roldan, Eduardo R S

2010-01-01

The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) is the most endangered felid in the world. Adequate genetic management of in situ and ex situ populations, and linkage between both, require knowledge on male reproductive biology and factors influencing it. We examined the influence of age, free-ranging versus captive conditions and seasonality on phenotypic, endocrine and semen traits, and links between reproductive traits and male fertility. Males had relatively small testes, produced low sperm numbers, a low proportion of normal sperm, and a high proportion of motile sperm. Young (2-year-old) males had lower testosterone levels, fewer sperm, and a lower proportion of motile and normal sperm than > or =4-year-old males. No major differences were found in semen traits before and after the mating season or between free-ranging and captive males, although the latter had better sperm motility. Males with larger relative testes weight and more sperm copulated more frequently, whereas males that produced more sperm with higher motility produced more cubs per female. In conclusion, small relative testes size and low sperm quality could indicate either low levels of sperm competition or high levels of inbreeding. Young males are probably subfertile; there is a slight trend for males in the captive breeding programme to have better semen quality than wild males, and males with higher sperm production are sexually more active and more fertile. These findings have major implications for decisions regarding which males should breed, provide samples for the genetic resource bank, or participate in programmes involving the use of assisted reproductive techniques.

A review of the proposed reintroduction program for the Far Eastern leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) and the role of conservation organizations, veterinarians, and zoos.

PubMed

Kelly, Paul; Stack, David; Harley, Jessica

2013-11-01

The Amur leopard is at the point of extinction. At present there are fewer than 35 in the wild. Their natural habitat ranges from China to the North Korean peninsula to Primorsky Krai in Russia. A reintroduction plan has been proposed to increase the population in the wild; however, this proposed plan still has many questions to be answered as to how effective it will be. The main objective is to reintroduce animals from a select group within the Far Eastern leopard programme or the Species Survival programme, which consist of leopards from select populations in the Northern Hemisphere. Zoos are central to the success of this plan, providing suitable breeding pairs to breed animals for reintroduction and also raising much needed funds to finance the project. Zoos are also central in educating the public about the critical status of the Amur leopard and other endangered animals of the world. Veterinary surgeons, by the very nature of their professional skills, are at the forefront of this seemingly endless battle against extinction of thousands of species that are critical to maintaining the balance of our fragile ecosystem. Veterinarians can analyze the health risks and health implications of reintroduction on the animals to be reintroduced and also on the native population. A world without large cats is a world hard to imagine. If we look closer at the implications of extinction, we see the domino effect of their loss and an ecosystem out of control. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Inc.

Healthwise South Africa: Cultural Adaptation of a School-Based Risk Prevention Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wegner, L.; Flisher, A. J.; Caldwell, L. L.; Vergnani, T.; Smith, E. A.

2008-01-01

There is a need for effective prevention programmes aimed at reducing risk behaviour among South African adolescents. HealthWise South Africa is a school-based programme designed to reduce sexual and substance use risk behaviour, and promote positive use of leisure time among high-school learners (students). Based on successful programmes in the…

Outreach Programmes to Attract Girls into Computing: How the Best Laid Plans Can Sometimes Fail

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lang, Catherine; Fisher, Julie; Craig, Annemieke; Forgasz, Helen

2015-01-01

This article presents a reflective analysis of an outreach programme called the Digital Divas Club. This curriculum-based programme was delivered in Australian schools with the aim of stimulating junior and middle school girls' interest in computing courses and careers. We believed that we had developed a strong intervention programme based on…

Circumpolar variation in morphological characteristics of Greater White-fronted Geese Anser albifrons

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ely, Craig R.; Fox, A.D.; Alisauskas, R.T.; Andreev, A.; Bromley, R.G.; Degtyarev, Andrei G.; Ebbinge, B.; Gurtovaya, E.N.; Kerbes, R.; Kondratyev, Alexander V.; Kostin, I.; Krechmar, A.V.; Litvin, K.E.; Miyabayashi, Y.; Moou, J.H.; Oates, R.M.; Orthmeyer, D.L.; Sabano, Yutaka; Simpson, S.G.; Solovieva, D.V.; Spindler, Michael A.; Syroechkovsky, Y.V.; Takekawa, John Y.; Walsh, A.

2005-01-01

Capsule: Greater White-fronted Geese show significant variation in body size from sampling locations throughout their circumpolar breeding range. Aims: To determine the degree of geographical variation in body size of Greater White-fronted Geese and identify factors contributing to any apparent patterns in variation. Methods: Structural measures of >3000 geese from 16 breeding areas throughout the Holarctic breeding range of the species were compared statistically. Results: Palearctic forms varied clinally, and increased in size from the smallest forms on the Kanin and Taimyr peninsulas in western Eurasia to the largest forms breeding in the Anadyr Lowlands of eastern Chukotka. Clinal variation was less apparent in the Nearctic, as both the smallest form in the Nearctic and the largest form overall (the Tule Goose) were from different breeding areas in Alaska. The Tule Goose was 25% larger than the smallest form. Birds from Greenland (A. a. flavirostris) were the second largest, although only slightly larger than geese from several North American populations. Body size was not correlated with breeding latitude but was positively correlated with temperature on the breeding grounds, breeding habitat, and migration distance. Body mass of Greater White-fronted Geese from all populations remained relatively constant during the period of wing moult. Morphological distinctness of eastern and western Palearctic forms concurs with earlier findings of complete range disjunction. Conclusions: Patterns of morphological variation in Greater White-fronted Geese across the Holarctic can be generally attributed to adaptation to variable breeding environments, migration requirements, and phylo-geographical histories. 

Relationships between Podolic cattle breeds assessed by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) genotyping.

PubMed

Pariset, L; Mariotti, M; Nardone, A; Soysal, M I; Ozkan, E; Williams, J L; Dunner, S; Leveziel, H; Maróti-Agóts, A; Bodò, I; Valentini, A

2010-12-01

Italian Maremmana, Turkish Grey and Hungarian Grey breeds belong to the same Podolic group of cattle, have a similar conformation and recently experienced a similar demographic reduction. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship among the analysed Podolic breeds and to verify whether their genetic state reflects their history. To do so, approximately 100 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped on individuals belonging to these breeds and compared to genotypes of individuals of two Italian beef breeds, Marchigiana and Piemontese, which underwent different selection and migration histories. Population genetic parameters such as allelic frequencies and heterozygosity values were assessed, genetic distances calculated and assignment test performed to evaluate the possibility of recent admixture between the populations. The data show that the physical similarity among the Podolic breeds examined, and particularly between Hungarian Grey and Maremmana cattle that experienced admixture in the recent past, is mainly morphological. The assignment of individuals from genotype data was achieved using Bayesian inference, confirming that the set of chosen SNPs is able to distinguish among the breeds and that the breeds are genetically distinct. Individuals of Turkish Grey breed were clearly assigned to their breed of origin for all clustering alternatives, showing that this breed can be differentiated from the others on the basis of the allelic frequencies. Remarkably, in the Turkish Grey there were differences observed between the population of Enez district, where in situ conservation studies are practised, and that of Bandirma district of Balikesir, where ex situ conservation studies are practised out of the original raising area. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that molecular data could be used to reveal an unbiased view of past events and provide the basis for a rational exploitation of livestock, suggesting appropriate cross-breeding plans based on genetic distance or breeding strategies that include the population structure. © 2010 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Influence of the variation of geometrical and topological traits on light interception efficiency of apple trees: sensitivity analysis and metamodelling for ideotype definition

PubMed Central

Da Silva, David; Han, Liqi; Faivre, Robert; Costes, Evelyne

2014-01-01

Background and Aims The impact of a fruit tree's architecture on its performance is still under debate, especially with regard to the definition of varietal ideotypes and the selection of architectural traits in breeding programmes. This study aimed at providing proof that a modelling approach can contribute to this debate, by using in silico exploration of different combinations of traits and their consequences on light interception, here considered as one of the key parameters to optimize fruit tree production. Methods The variability of organ geometrical traits, previously described in a bi-parental population, was used to simulate 1- to 5-year-old apple trees (Malus × domestica). Branching sequences along trunks observed during the first year of growth of the same hybrid trees were used to initiate the simulations, and hidden semi-Markov chains previously parameterized were used in subsequent years. Tree total leaf area (TLA) and silhouette to total area ratio (STAR) values were estimated, and a sensitivity analysis was performed, based on a metamodelling approach and a generalized additive model (GAM), to analyse the relative impact of organ geometry and lateral shoot types on STAR. Key Results A larger increase over years in TLA mean and variance was generated by varying branching along trunks than by varying organ geometry, whereas the inverse was observed for STAR, where mean values stabilized from year 3 to year 5. The internode length and leaf area had the highest impact on STAR, whereas long sylleptic shoots had a more significant effect than proleptic shoots. Although the GAM did not account for interactions, the additive effects of the geometrical factors explained >90% of STAR variation, but much less in the case of branching factors. Conclusions This study demonstrates that the proposed modelling approach could contribute to screening architectural traits and their relative impact on tree performance, here viewed through light interception. Even though trait combinations and antagonism will need further investigation, the approach opens up new perspectives for breeding and genetic selection to be assisted by varietal ideotype definition. PMID:24723446

Using a full annual cycle model to evaluate long-term population viability of the conservation-reliant Kirtland's warbler after successful recovery

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brown, Donald J.; Ribic, Christine; Donner, Deahn M.; Nelson, Mark D.; Bocetti, Carol I.; Deloria-Sheffield, Christie M.

2017-01-01

Long-term management planning for conservation-reliant migratory songbirds is particularly challenging because habitat quality in different stages and geographic locations of the annual cycle can have direct and carry-over effects that influence the population dynamics. The Neotropical migratory songbird Kirtland's warbler Setophaga kirtlandii (Baird 1852) is listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and Near Threatened under the IUCN Red List. This conservation-reliant species is being considered for U.S. federal delisting because the species has surpassed the designated 1000 breeding pairs recovery threshold since 2001.To help inform the delisting decision and long-term management efforts, we developed a population simulation model for the Kirtland's warbler that incorporated both breeding and wintering grounds habitat dynamics, and projected population viability based on current environmental conditions and potential future management scenarios. Future management scenarios included the continuation of current management conditions, reduced productivity and carrying capacity due to the changes in habitat suitability from the creation of experimental jack pine Pinus banksiana (Lamb.) plantations, and reduced productivity from alteration of the brown-headed cowbird Molothrus ater (Boddaert 1783) removal programme.Linking wintering grounds precipitation to productivity improved the accuracy of the model for replicating past observed population dynamics. Our future simulations indicate that the Kirtland's warbler population is stable under two potential future management scenarios: (i) continuation of current management practices and (ii) spatially restricting cowbird removal to the core breeding area, assuming that cowbirds reduce productivity in the remaining patches by ≤41%. The additional future management scenarios we assessed resulted in population declines.Synthesis and applications. Our study indicates that the Kirtland's warbler population is stable under current management conditions and that the jack pine plantation and cowbird removal programmes continue to be necessary for the long-term persistence of the species. This study represents one of the first attempts to incorporate full annual cycle dynamics into a population viability analysis for a migratory bird, and our results indicate that incorporating wintering grounds dynamics improved the model performance.

Joint genomic evaluation of French dairy cattle breeds using multiple-trait models.

PubMed

Karoui, Sofiene; Carabaño, María Jesús; Díaz, Clara; Legarra, Andrés

2012-12-07

Using a multi-breed reference population might be a way of increasing the accuracy of genomic breeding values in small breeds. Models involving mixed-breed data do not take into account the fact that marker effects may differ among breeds. This study was aimed at investigating the impact on accuracy of increasing the number of genotyped candidates in the training set by using a multi-breed reference population, in contrast to single-breed genomic evaluations. Three traits (milk production, fat content and female fertility) were analyzed by genomic mixed linear models and Bayesian methodology. Three breeds of French dairy cattle were used: Holstein, Montbéliarde and Normande with 2976, 950 and 970 bulls in the training population, respectively and 964, 222 and 248 bulls in the validation population, respectively. All animals were genotyped with the Illumina Bovine SNP50 array. Accuracy of genomic breeding values was evaluated under three scenarios for the correlation of genomic breeding values between breeds (r(g)): uncorrelated (1), r(g) = 0; estimated r(g) (2); high, r(g) = 0.95 (3). Accuracy and bias of predictions obtained in the validation population with the multi-breed training set were assessed by the coefficient of determination (R(2)) and by the regression coefficient of daughter yield deviations of validation bulls on their predicted genomic breeding values, respectively. The genetic variation captured by the markers for each trait was similar to that estimated for routine pedigree-based genetic evaluation. Posterior means for rg ranged from -0.01 for fertility between Montbéliarde and Normande to 0.79 for milk yield between Montbéliarde and Holstein. Differences in R(2) between the three scenarios were notable only for fat content in the Montbéliarde breed: from 0.27 in scenario (1) to 0.33 in scenarios (2) and (3). Accuracies for fertility were lower than for other traits. Using a multi-breed reference population resulted in small or no increases in accuracy. Only the breed with a small data set and large genetic correlation with the breed with a large data set showed increased accuracy for the traits with moderate (milk) to high (fat content) heritability. No benefit was observed for fertility, a lowly heritable trait.

Joint genomic evaluation of French dairy cattle breeds using multiple-trait models

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Using a multi-breed reference population might be a way of increasing the accuracy of genomic breeding values in small breeds. Models involving mixed-breed data do not take into account the fact that marker effects may differ among breeds. This study was aimed at investigating the impact on accuracy of increasing the number of genotyped candidates in the training set by using a multi-breed reference population, in contrast to single-breed genomic evaluations. Methods Three traits (milk production, fat content and female fertility) were analyzed by genomic mixed linear models and Bayesian methodology. Three breeds of French dairy cattle were used: Holstein, Montbéliarde and Normande with 2976, 950 and 970 bulls in the training population, respectively and 964, 222 and 248 bulls in the validation population, respectively. All animals were genotyped with the Illumina Bovine SNP50 array. Accuracy of genomic breeding values was evaluated under three scenarios for the correlation of genomic breeding values between breeds (rg): uncorrelated (1), rg = 0; estimated rg (2); high, rg = 0.95 (3). Accuracy and bias of predictions obtained in the validation population with the multi-breed training set were assessed by the coefficient of determination (R2) and by the regression coefficient of daughter yield deviations of validation bulls on their predicted genomic breeding values, respectively. Results The genetic variation captured by the markers for each trait was similar to that estimated for routine pedigree-based genetic evaluation. Posterior means for rg ranged from −0.01 for fertility between Montbéliarde and Normande to 0.79 for milk yield between Montbéliarde and Holstein. Differences in R2 between the three scenarios were notable only for fat content in the Montbéliarde breed: from 0.27 in scenario (1) to 0.33 in scenarios (2) and (3). Accuracies for fertility were lower than for other traits. Conclusions Using a multi-breed reference population resulted in small or no increases in accuracy. Only the breed with a small data set and large genetic correlation with the breed with a large data set showed increased accuracy for the traits with moderate (milk) to high (fat content) heritability. No benefit was observed for fertility, a lowly heritable trait. PMID:23216664

Genome wide linkage disequilibrium and genetic structure in Sicilian dairy sheep breeds.

PubMed

Mastrangelo, Salvatore; Di Gerlando, Rosalia; Tolone, Marco; Tortorici, Lina; Sardina, Maria Teresa; Portolano, Baldassare

2014-10-10

The recent availability of sheep genome-wide SNP panels allows providing background information concerning genome structure in domestic animals. The aim of this work was to investigate the patterns of linkage disequilibrium (LD), the genetic diversity and population structure in Valle del Belice, Comisana, and Pinzirita dairy sheep breeds using the Illumina Ovine SNP50K Genotyping array. Average r (2) between adjacent SNPs across all chromosomes was 0.155 ± 0.204 for Valle del Belice, 0.156 ± 0.208 for Comisana, and 0.128 ± 0.188 for Pinzirita breeds, and some variations in LD value across chromosomes were observed, in particular for Valle del Belice and Comisana breeds. Average values of r (2) estimated for all pairwise combinations of SNPs pooled over all autosomes were 0.058 ± 0.023 for Valle del Belice, 0.056 ± 0.021 for Comisana, and 0.037 ± 0.017 for Pinzirita breeds. The LD declined as a function of distance and average r (2) was lower than the values observed in other sheep breeds. Consistency of results among the several used approaches (Principal component analysis, Bayesian clustering, F ST, Neighbor networks) showed that while Valle del Belice and Pinzirita breeds formed a unique cluster, Comisana breed showed the presence of substructure. In Valle del Belice breed, the high level of genetic differentiation within breed, the heterogeneous cluster in Admixture analysis, but at the same time the highest inbreeding coefficient, suggested that the breed had a wide genetic base with inbred individuals belonging to the same flock. The Sicilian breeds were characterized by low genetic differentiation and high level of admixture. Pinzirita breed displayed the highest genetic diversity (He, Ne) whereas the lowest value was found in Valle del Belice breed. This study has reported for the first time estimates of LD and genetic diversity from a genome-wide perspective in Sicilian dairy sheep breeds. Our results indicate that breeds formed non-overlapping clusters and are clearly separated populations and that Comisana sheep breed does not constitute a homogenous population. The information generated from this study has important implications for the design and applications of association studies as well as for development of conservation and/or selection breeding programs.

Male-to-female aggression in cage-housed common pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) during the breeding season was not related to male plasma testosterone level.

PubMed

Zapletal, D; Macháček, M; Suchý, P; Straková, E; Vitula, F

2018-06-01

1. The aim of this study was to investigate if male-to-female aggression of common pheasants in the course of the breeding season was related to the concentration of plasma testosterone and/or other biochemical plasma indicators in male pheasants housed in breeding cages. The influence of season on the concentration of testosterone and biochemical indicators was also investigated. 2. Males were divided into non-aggressive and aggressive groups during the breeding season based on ethological evaluation. At the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the breeding season, a blood sample was taken from all males on the same day and the concentration of selected biochemical indicators and the total circulating testosterone in the plasma were determined. 3. Male-to-female aggression during the breeding season of pheasants was not influenced by the total plasma testosterone of males. 4. The concentration of total plasma testosterone in males decreased gradually during the breeding season. 5. Male-to-female aggression of pheasants did not have a significant effect on any of the assessed biochemical indicators. 6. The influence of the breeding season affected the activities of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase as well as the concentrations of glucose, magnesium, potassium and chloride in the blood plasma of cage-housed male pheasants.

Sub-clinical mastitis and associated risk factors on lactating cows in the Savannah Region of Nigeria

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Sub-clinical mastitis limits milk production and represents an important barrier to profitable livestock economics worldwide. Milk production from cows in Nigeria is not at optimum levels in view of many factors including sub-clinical mastitis. Results The overall herd-level prevalence rate for SCM was 85.33% (256/300 heads of cows) while the quarter-level prevalence rate of SCM was 43.25% (519/1,200 quarters). The prevalence of SCM was 50.67%, 43.67%, 39.67% and 39.13% for the left fore-quarter, right hind-quarter, left hind-quarter and right fore-quarter, respectively. The Rahaji breed had the highest prevalence of SCM with 65.91% (29/44), while the White Fulani breed had the least with 32.39% (57/176). A total of 32.33% (97/300) had only one mammary quarter affected, 30.33% (91/300) had two quarters affected, 16.00% (48/300) had three quarters affected while 6.67% (20/300) had all the four quarters affected. A total of 53.00% had SCM in multiple quarters (159/300). The risk of SCM decreased significantly among young lactating cows compared to older animals (OR = 0.283; P < 0.001; 95%CI = 0.155; 0.516). The Rahaji breed had significantly higher risk compared with the White Fulani breed (OR = 8.205; P = 0.013; 95% CI = 1.557; 43.226). Improved sanitation (washing hands before milking) will decrease the risk of SCM (OR = 0.173; P = 0.003; 95% CI = 0.054; 0.554). Conclusion SCM is prevalent among lactating cows in the Nigerian Savannah; and this is associated with both animal characteristics (age, breed and individual milk quarters) and milking practices (hand washing).Good knowledge of the environment and careful management of the identified risk factors with improved sanitation should assist farm managers and veterinarians in implementing preventative programmes to reduce the incidence of SCM. PMID:22894639

Development of diagnostic markers for use in breeding potatoes resistant to Globodera pallida pathotype Pa2/3 using germplasm derived from Solanum tuberosum ssp. andigena CPC 2802.

PubMed

Moloney, Claire; Griffin, Denis; Jones, Peter W; Bryan, Glenn J; McLean, Karen; Bradshaw, John E; Milbourne, Dan

2010-02-01

Quantitative resistance to Globodera pallida pathotype Pa2/3, originally derived from Solanum tuberosum ssp. andigena Commonwealth Potato Collection (CPC) accession 2802, is present in several potato cultivars and advanced breeding lines. One genetic component of this resistance, a large effect quantitative trait locus (QTL) on linkage group IV (which we have renamed GpaIV(adg)(s)) has previously been mapped in the tetraploid breeding line 12601ab1. In this study, we show that GpaIV(adg)(s) is also present in a breeding line called C1992/31 via genetic mapping in an F(1) population produced by crossing C1992/31 with the G. pallida susceptible cultivar Record. C1992/31 is relatively divergent from 12601ab1, confirming that GpaIV(adg)(s) is an ideal target for marker-assisted selection in currently available germplasm. To generate markers exhibiting diagnostic potential for GpaIV(adg)(s), three bacterial artificial chromosome clones were isolated from the QTL region, sequenced, and used to develop 15 primer sets generating single-copy amplicons, which were examined for polymorphisms exhibiting linkage to GpaIV(adg)(s) in C1992/31. Eight such polymorphisms were found. Subsequently, one insertion/deletion polymorphism, three single nucleotide polymorphisms and a specific allele of the microsatellite marker STM3016 were shown to exhibit diagnostic potential for the QTL in a panel of 37 potato genotypes, 12 with and 25 without accession CPC2082 in their pedigrees. STM3016 and one of the SNP polymorphisms, C237(119), were assayed in 178 potato genotypes, arising from crosses between C1992/31 and 16 G. pallida susceptible genotypes, undergoing selection in a commercial breeding programme. The results suggest that the diagnostic markers would most effectively be employed in MAS-based approaches to pyramid different resistance loci to develop cultivars exhibiting strong, durable resistance to G. pallida pathotype Pa2/3.

Eco-virological survey of Aedes mosquito larvae in selected dengue outbreak areas in Malaysia.

PubMed

Rohani, A; Aidil Azahary, A R; Malinda, M; Zurainee, M N; Rozilawati, H; Wan Najdah, W M A; Lee, H L

2014-12-01

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVESI: Transovarial transmission of dengue virus in the Aedes vectors is now a well-documented phenomenon reported from many parts of the endemic areas in the world, which played an important role in initiating and maintaining the outbreak in human populations. This study investigated the factors affecting breeding habitats and the relationship with transovarial dengue virus in larvae of Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus. Larval surveillance was conducted in dengue outbreak areas in Malaysia from 2008 until 2009. Sampling was carried out based on habitat type, water condition (substrate type), canopy coverage, temperature and pH at breeding habitats. RT-PCR was performed to detect presence of transovarial dengue virus in larvae collected in the study areas. A total of 789 breeding habitats were identified during this study and the majority of these breeding sites were plastic containers (57.46%). Aedes albopictus dominated most of the water condition surveyed, while Ae. aegypti indicated preference toward habitats with clear water. Aedes aegypti was selective in selecting ovipositional sites compared to Ae. albopictus where shaded areas were shown to be the most preferred. From a total of 363 mosquito larvae pools, 23 (6.3%) pools were positive for dengue virus where 18 of them were from Ae. albopictus and five were from Ae. aegypti mosquito larvae pools. This study indicated the presence of transovarial transmission of dengue virus in immature Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus in the field. This study also showed that combination of water conditions, canopy coverage, temperature and pH of breeding habitats were the factors affecting the larval population. The study suggested that larval survey programme could serve as a tool not only to monitor the local dengue vector distribution but also to provide objective information for taking appropriate action by the community against dengue vectors.

Breeding objectives for sheep should be customised depending on variation in pasture growth across years.

PubMed

Rose, G; Mulder, H A; Thompson, A N; van der Werf, J H J; van Arendonk, J A M

2015-08-01

Breeding programmes for livestock require economic weights for traits that reflect the most profitable animal in a given production system, which affect the response in each trait after selection. The profitability of sheep production systems is affected by changes in pasture growth as well as grain, meat and wool prices between seasons and across years. Annual pasture growth varies between regions within Australia's Mediterranean climate zone from low growth with long periods of drought to high growth with shorter periods of drought. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess whether breeding objectives need to be adapted for regions, depending on how reliable the pasture growth is across years. We modelled farms with Merino sheep bred for wool and meat in 10 regions in Western Australia. Across these 10 regions, mean annual pasture growth decreased, and the CV of annual pasture growth increased as pasture growth for regions became less reliable. We calculated economic values for nine traits, optimising management across 11 years, including variation for pasture growth and wool, meat and grain prices between and within years from 2002 to 2012. These economic values were used to calculate responses to selection for each trait for the 10 regions. We identified two potential breeding objectives, one for regions with low or high reliability and the other for regions with medium reliability of pasture growth. Breeding objectives for high or low pasture growth reliability had more emphasis on live weight traits and number of lambs weaned. Breeding objectives for medium reliability of pasture growth had more emphasis on decreasing fibre diameter. Relative economic weights for fleece weight did not change across the regions. Regions with low or high pasture reliability had similar breeding objectives and response to selection, because the relationship between the economic values and CV of pasture growth were not linear for live weight traits and the number of lambs weaned. This non-linearity was caused by differences in distribution of pasture growth between regions, particularly during summer and autumn, when ewes were pregnant, with increases in energy requirements affecting the value of lambs weaned. In addition, increasing live weight increased the intake capacity of sheep, which meant that more poor quality pasture could be consumed during summer and autumn, which had more value in regions with low and high pasture reliability. We concluded that breeding values for sheep production systems should be customised depending on the reliability of pasture growth between years.

Collaborations, Courses, and Competitions: Developing Entrepreneurship Programmes at UCL

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chapman, David; Skinner, Jeff

2006-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to detail a range of collaborative programmes developed by University College London (UCL) and the London Business School (LBS). These schemes have been developed to exploit synergies between the two institutions with the aim of promoting entrepreneurship within the fields of science and technology.…

The UK Academic Foundation Programmes: are the objectives being met?

PubMed

Ologunde, R; Sismey, G; Kelley, T

2018-03-01

Background Since the Academic Foundation Programme was established in the UK in 2005 a number of trainees have participated in this programme; however, there are few published national data on the experiences of these academic trainees. We aimed to assess the perceived value and challenges of training on the AFP. Methods In March 2017, an anonymous electronic questionnaire was distributed to all Academic Foundation Programme trainees in the UK, via their local foundation school administrators. Fifty-six respondents completed the survey from 9 out of the 15 Academic Units of Application. Of these, 82% were undertaking a research based Academic Foundation Programme; however, 41% reported not having access to any training on research methods and governance. Sixty-six percent reported they were aware of the aims and expected outcomes of the Academic Foundation Programme, but the self-reported achievement of academic compendium outcomes was relatively low. Sixty-three percent rated the quality of their experience on the Academic Foundation Programme as excellent or good and 75% reported that they intended to continue in academia. Most trainees (64%) reported that the completion of a postgraduate qualification as part of their Academic Foundation Programme would improve the programme. Conclusion The Academic Foundation Programme plays a valuable role in trainees' development and preparing them for a career in academia. However, the objectives of the programme are currently not being uniformly achieved. Furthermore, trainees feel there remains room for improvement in the design of the programme.

Bovine dopamine receptors DRD1, DRD4, and DRD5: genetic polymorphisms and diversities among ten cattle breeds.

PubMed

Sifuentes-Rincón, A M; Trejo-Tapia, A G; Randel, R D; Ambriz-Morales, P; Parra-Bracamonte, G M

2016-02-22

The aim of this study was to analyze the allelic frequency distribution and segregation among breeds and/or between different cattle genetic groups of four novel single nucleotide polymorphisms of the bovine DRD1 and DRD5 genes and one reported SNP from the DRD4 gene. One hundred and nine-animals from ten different cattle breeds were genotyped and allelic frequencies for each locus were estimated. There were significant differences in the allelic frequencies (P < 0.05) among breeds for the DRD1 and DRD5 markers. The allelic frequencies for markers DRD1-825A>G and DRD5-378C>T were also significantly different between groups differing in genetic background. Because differences in temperament have been reported between Bos taurus taurus and B. taurus indicus breeds and their crosses, further studies are needed to investigate if any association exists between described markers and cattle behavior traits.

The contribution of efficient production of monozygotic twins to beef cattle breeding

PubMed Central

HASHIYADA, Yutaka

2017-01-01

Production of sires with high breeding potential is indispensable for prompt and reliable breeding using their semen in the cattle industry. Currently, in Japan, we aim to further the production of Japanese black sires via a new breeding system that uses genetically homologous monozygotic twins so that better growth performance and carcass traits can be translated to the increased production of beef with higher economic value. Several studies have reported that monozygotic twins are produced by embryo bisection. On the other hand, with the evolution and stabilization of in vitro fertilization technology, it has become possible to produce multiple monozygotic twin calves from blastomeres separated from a cleavage-stage embryo. This review attempts to clarify breeding practices through revalidation of the factors that affect the production efficiency of monozygotic twin calves by embryo bisection. Furthermore, the establishment of a system for monozygotic twin embryo production via the simplified technique of blastomere separation is reviewed while showing data from our previously performed studies. PMID:29033399

Autophagy during beef aging

PubMed Central

García-Macia, Marina; Sierra, Verónica; Palanca, Ana; Vega-Naredo, Ignacio; de Gonzalo-Calvo, David; Rodríguez-González, Susana; Oliván, Mamen; Coto-Montes, Ana

2013-01-01

The conversion of muscle into meat is a complex process of major concern for meat scientists due to its influence on the final meat quality. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of autophagic processes in the conversion of muscle into meat. Our findings demonstrated, for the first time, the occurrence of autophagic processes in the muscle tissue at early postmortem period (2 h to 24 h) in both beef breeds studied (Asturiana de los Valles and Asturiana de la Montaña) showing significant time-scale differences between breeds, which could indicate a role of this process in meat maturation. These breeds have different physiological features: while Asturiana de los Valles is a meat-specialized breed showing high growth rate, an elevated proportion of white fibers in the muscle and low intramuscular fat level, Asturiana de la Montaña is a small- to medium-sized rustic breed adapted to less-favored areas, showing more red fibers in the muscle and a high intramuscular fat content. PMID:24225649

The involvement of prolactin in avian molt: the effects of gender and breeding success on the timing of molt in Mute swans (Cygnus olor).

PubMed

Dawson, A; Perrins, C M; Sharp, P J; Wheeler, D; Groves, S

2009-04-01

The aim of the study was to test the hypothesis that decreasing plasma prolactin stimulates or permits the initiation of avian molt. Changes in the concentration of plasma prolactin in Mute swans (Cygnus olor) were compared in non-breeding singletons and breeding pairs. In breeding swans, the onset of molt is delayed compared to non-breeders, and is delayed further in breeding males compared to their female partners. The seasonal decrease in prolactin in non-breeding birds of both sexes started at the end of May and was associated with the initiation of molt 4 weeks later. The decrease in plasma prolactin in incubating females was more pronounced, as a consequence of increased prolactin secretion associated with incubation behavior, but also started at end of May, and was associated the onset of molt 6 weeks later. In breeding males, plasma prolactin increased at the end of May when they started to care for their newly hatched cygnets. Correspondingly, prolactin began to decrease 3-5 weeks later in males than in females. These males started to molt in mid August, at least 4 weeks later than females. It is concluded that molt is related to decreasing plasma prolactin, and is inhibited when plasma prolactin is increasing or high.

Wheat production in Bangladesh: its future in the light of global warming

PubMed Central

Hossain, Akbar; Teixeira da Silva, Jaime A.

2012-01-01

Background and aims The most fundamental activity of the people of Bangladesh is agriculture. Modelling projections for Bangladesh indicate that warmer temperatures linked to climate change will severely reduce the growth of various winter crops (wheat, boro rice, potato and winter vegetables) in the north and central parts. In summer, crops in south-eastern parts of the country are at risk from increased flooding as sea levels increase. Key facts Wheat is one of the most important winter crops and is temperature sensitive and the second most important grain crop after rice. In this review, we provide an up-to-date and detailed account of wheat research of Bangladesh and the impact that global warming may have on agriculture, especially wheat production. Although flooding is not of major importance or consequence to the wheat crop at present, some perspectives are provided on this stress since wheat is flood sensitive and the incidence of flooding is likely to increase. Projections This information and projections will allow wheat breeders to devise new breeding programmes to attempt to mitigate future global warming. We discuss what this implies for food security in the broader context of South Asia. PMID:23304431

From Chaos and Insecurity to Understanding and Coping: Experienced Benefits of a Group-Based Education Programme for People with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pinxsterhuis, Irma; Strand, Elin Bolle; Stormorken, Eva; Sveen, Unni

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to elicit participants' experiences with a multidisciplinary patient education programme and their views regarding the usefulness of the programme. Focus group interviews were conducted with 10 participants immediately and nine months following participation in the programme and analysed using thematic analysis.…

VIP in construction: systematic development and evaluation of a multifaceted health programme aiming to improve physical activity levels and dietary patterns among construction workers

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The prevalence of both overweight and musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) in the construction industry is high. Many interventions in the occupational setting aim at the prevention and reduction of these health problems, but it is still unclear how these programmes should be designed. To determine the effectiveness of interventions on these health outcomes randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are needed. The aim of this study is to systematically develop a tailored intervention for prevention and reduction of overweight and MSD among construction workers and to describe the evaluation study regarding its (cost-)effectiveness. Methods/Design The Intervention Mapping (IM) protocol was applied to develop and implement a tailored programme aimed at the prevention and reduction of overweight and MSD. The (cost-) effectiveness of the intervention programme will be evaluated using an RCT. Furthermore, a process evaluation will be conducted. The research population will consist of blue collar workers of a large construction company in the Netherlands. Intervention The intervention programme will be aimed at improving (vigorous) physical activity levels and healthy dietary behaviour and will consist of tailored information, face-to-face and telephone counselling, training instruction (a fitness "card" to be used for exercises), and materials designed for the intervention (overview of the company health promoting facilities, waist circumference measuring tape, pedometer, BMI card, calorie guide, recipes, and knowledge test). Main study parameters/endpoints The intervention effect on body weight and waist circumference (primary outcome measures), as well as on lifestyle behaviour, MSD, fitness, CVD risk indicators, and work-related outcomes (i.e. productivity, sick leave) (secondary outcome measures) will be assessed. Discussion The development of the VIP in construction intervention led to a health programme tailored to the needs of construction workers. This programme, if proven effective, can be directly implemented. Trial registration Netherlands Trial Register (NTR): NTR2095 PMID:22289212

Precocious flowering of juvenile citrus induced by a viral vector based on Citrus leaf blotch virus: a new tool for genetics and breeding.

PubMed

Velázquez, Karelia; Agüero, Jesús; Vives, María C; Aleza, Pablo; Pina, José A; Moreno, Pedro; Navarro, Luis; Guerri, José

2016-10-01

The long juvenile period of citrus trees (often more than 6 years) has hindered genetic improvement by traditional breeding methods and genetic studies. In this work, we have developed a biotechnology tool to promote transition from the vegetative to the reproductive phase in juvenile citrus plants by expression of the Arabidopsis thaliana or citrus FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) genes using a Citrus leaf blotch virus-based vector (clbvINpr-AtFT and clbvINpr-CiFT, respectively). Citrus plants of different genotypes graft inoculated with either of these vectors started flowering within 4-6 months, with no alteration of the plant architecture, leaf, flower or fruit morphology in comparison with noninoculated adult plants. The vector did not integrate in or recombine with the plant genome nor was it pollen or vector transmissible, albeit seed transmission at low rate was detected. The clbvINpr-AtFT is very stable, and flowering was observed over a period of at least 5 years. Precocious flowering of juvenile citrus plants after vector infection provides a helpful and safe tool to dramatically speed up genetic studies and breeding programmes. © 2016 The Authors. Plant Biotechnology Journal published by Society for Experimental Biology and The Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Genetic parameters of pelt character, feed efficiency and size traits in Finnish blue fox (Vulpes lagopus).

PubMed

Kempe, R; Koskinen, N; Strandén, I

2013-12-01

Pelt character traits (size, quality, colour clarity, darkness) are important economic traits in blue fox breeding. Better feed efficiency (FE) is another economically important and new breeding goal for fur animals. The purpose of this study was to determine the correlations between pelt character traits, FE and size traits and to estimate genetic parameters for pelt character traits. Pelt size (pSIcm ) had a high positive genetic correlation with animal grading size (gSI), final body weight (BWFin), body length and daily gain (DG), and a moderate correlation with body condition score (BCS). Animal body length and BCS (describing fatness) were considered as genetically different traits. Genetic correlations between pelt quality and size traits were estimated without precision and did not differ from zero, but colour clarity (pCL) had a low antagonistic genetic correlation with FE. Pelt size and DG had a favourable genetic correlation with FE but a fairly high unfavourable genetic correlation with dry matter feed intake. The current emphasis on selection for larger animal and pelt size improves FE indirectly, but selection for larger pelt size favours fast-growing and fat individuals and simultaneously increases feed intake. The detected genetic connections between FE, size, feed intake and pCL should be taken into account in the Finnish blue fox breeding programme. © 2013 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Using the RE-AIM framework to evaluate a school-based municipal programme tripling time spent on PE.

PubMed

Nielsen, Jonas Vestergaard; Skovgaard, Thomas; Bredahl, Thomas Viskum Gjelstrup; Bugge, Anna; Wedderkopp, Niels; Klakk, Heidi

2018-06-01

Documenting the implementation of effective real-world programmes is considered an important step to support the translation of evidence into practice. Thus, the aim of this study was to identify factors influencing the adoption, implementation and maintenance of the Svendborgproject (SP) - an effective real-world programme comprising schools to implement triple the amount of physical education (PE) in pre-school to sixth grade in six primary schools in the municipality of Svendborg, Denmark. SP has been maintained for ten years and scaled up to all municipal schools since it was initiated in 2008. The Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance framework (RE-AIM) was applied as an analytic tool through a convergent mixed method triangulation design. Results show that SP has been implemented with high fidelity and become an established part of the municipality and school identity. The successful implementation and dissemination of the programme has been enabled through the introduction of a predominantly bottom-up approach combined with simple non-negotiable requirements. The results show that this combination has led to a better fit of programmes to the individual school context while still obtaining high implementation fidelity. Finally, the early integration of research has legitimated and benefitted the programme. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

"Don't wait for them to come to you, you go to them". A qualitative study of recruitment approaches in community based walking programmes in the UK.

PubMed

Matthews, Anne; Brennan, Graham; Kelly, Paul; McAdam, Chloe; Mutrie, Nanette; Foster, Charles

2012-08-10

This study aimed to examine the experiences of walking promotion professionals on the range and effectiveness of recruitment strategies used within community based walking programmes within the United Kingdom. Two researchers recruited and conducted semi-structured interviews with managers and project co-ordinators of community based walking programmes, across the UK, using a purposive sampling frame. Twenty eight interviews were conducted, with community projects targeting participants by age, physical activity status, socio-demographic characteristics (i.e. ethnic group) or by health status. Three case studies were also conducted with programmes aiming to recruit priority groups and also demonstrating innovative recruitment methods. Data analysis adopted an approach using analytic induction. Two types of programmes were identified: those with explicit health aims and those without. Programme aims which required targeting of specific groups adopted more specific recruitment methods. The selection of recruitment method was dependent on the respondent's awareness of 'what works' and the resource capacity at their disposal. Word of mouth was perceived to be the most effective means of recruitment but using this approach took time and effort to build relationships with target groups, usually through a third party. Perceived effectiveness of recruitment was assessed by number of participants rather than numbers of the right participants. Some programmes, particularly those targeting younger adult participants, recruited using new social communication media. Where adopted, social marketing recruitment strategies tended to promote the 'social' rather than the 'health' benefits of walking. Effective walking programme recruitment seems to require trained, strategic, labour intensive, word-of-mouth communication, often in partnerships, in order to understand needs and develop trust and motivation within disengaged sedentary communities. Walking promotion professionals require better training and resources to deliver appropriate recruitment strategies to reach priority groups.

Genetic Breeding and Diversity of the Genus Passiflora: Progress and Perspectives in Molecular and Genetic Studies

PubMed Central

Cerqueira-Silva, Carlos Bernard M.; Jesus, Onildo N.; Santos, Elisa S. L.; Corrêa, Ronan X.; Souza, Anete P.

2014-01-01

Despite the ecological and economic importance of passion fruit (Passiflora spp.), molecular markers have only recently been utilized in genetic studies of this genus. In addition, both basic genetic researches related to population studies and pre-breeding programs of passion fruit remain scarce for most Passiflora species. Considering the number of Passiflora species and the increasing use of these species as a resource for ornamental, medicinal, and food purposes, the aims of this review are the following: (i) to present the current condition of the passion fruit crop; (ii) to quantify the applications and effects of using molecular markers in studies of Passiflora; (iii) to present the contributions of genetic engineering for passion fruit culture; and (iv) to discuss the progress and perspectives of this research. Thus, the present review aims to summarize and discuss the relationship between historical and current progress on the culture, breeding, and molecular genetics of passion fruit. PMID:25196515

A Test of Canine Olfactory Capacity: Comparing Various Dog Breeds and Wolves in a Natural Detection Task

PubMed Central

Polgár, Zita; Kinnunen, Mari; Újváry, Dóra; Miklósi, Ádám; Gácsi, Márta

2016-01-01

Many dog breeds are bred specifically for increased performance in scent-based tasks. Whether dogs bred for this purpose have higher olfactory capacities than other dogs, or even wolves with whom they share a common ancestor, has not yet been studied. Indeed, there is no standard test for assessing canine olfactory ability. This study aimed to create a simple procedure that requires no pre-training and to use it to measure differences in olfactory capacity across four groups of canines: (1) dog breeds that have been selected for their scenting ability; (2) dog breeds that have been bred for other purposes; (3) dog breeds with exaggerated short-nosed features; and (4) hand-reared grey wolves. The procedure involved baiting a container with raw turkey meat and placing it under one of four identical ceramic pots. Subjects were led along the row of pots and were tasked with determining by olfaction alone which of them contained the bait. There were five levels of increasing difficulty determined by the number of holes on the container’s lid. A subsample of both dogs and wolves was retested to assess reliability. The results showed that breeds selected for scent work were better than both short-nosed and non-scent breeds. In the most difficult level, wolves and scenting breeds performed better than chance, while non-scenting and short-nosed breeds did not. In the retested samples wolves improved their success; however, dogs showed no change in their performances indicating that a single test may be reliable enough to assess their capacity. Overall, we revealed measurable differences between dog breeds in their olfactory abilities and suggest that the Natural Detection Task is a good foundation for developing an efficient way of quantifying them. PMID:27152412

A Test of Canine Olfactory Capacity: Comparing Various Dog Breeds and Wolves in a Natural Detection Task.

PubMed

Polgár, Zita; Kinnunen, Mari; Újváry, Dóra; Miklósi, Ádám; Gácsi, Márta

2016-01-01

Many dog breeds are bred specifically for increased performance in scent-based tasks. Whether dogs bred for this purpose have higher olfactory capacities than other dogs, or even wolves with whom they share a common ancestor, has not yet been studied. Indeed, there is no standard test for assessing canine olfactory ability. This study aimed to create a simple procedure that requires no pre-training and to use it to measure differences in olfactory capacity across four groups of canines: (1) dog breeds that have been selected for their scenting ability; (2) dog breeds that have been bred for other purposes; (3) dog breeds with exaggerated short-nosed features; and (4) hand-reared grey wolves. The procedure involved baiting a container with raw turkey meat and placing it under one of four identical ceramic pots. Subjects were led along the row of pots and were tasked with determining by olfaction alone which of them contained the bait. There were five levels of increasing difficulty determined by the number of holes on the container's lid. A subsample of both dogs and wolves was retested to assess reliability. The results showed that breeds selected for scent work were better than both short-nosed and non-scent breeds. In the most difficult level, wolves and scenting breeds performed better than chance, while non-scenting and short-nosed breeds did not. In the retested samples wolves improved their success; however, dogs showed no change in their performances indicating that a single test may be reliable enough to assess their capacity. Overall, we revealed measurable differences between dog breeds in their olfactory abilities and suggest that the Natural Detection Task is a good foundation for developing an efficient way of quantifying them.

Radiographic liver size in Pekingese dogs versus other dog breeds.

PubMed

Choi, Jihye; Keh, Seoyeon; Kim, Hyunwook; Kim, Junyoung; Yoon, Junghee

2013-01-01

Differential diagnoses for canine liver disease are commonly based on radiographic estimates of liver size, however little has been published on breed variations. Aims of this study were to describe normal radiographic liver size in Pekingese dogs and to compare normal measurements for this breed with other dog breeds and Pekingese dogs with liver disease. Liver measurements were compared for clinically normal Pekingese (n = 61), normal non-Pekingese brachycephalic (n = 45), normal nonbrachycephalic (n = 71), and Pekingese breed dogs with liver disease (n = 22). For each dog, body weight, liver length, T11 vertebral length, thoracic depth, and thoracic width were measured on right lateral and ventrodorsal abdominal radiographs. Liver volume was calculated using a formula and ratios of liver length/T11 vertebral length and liver volume/body weight ratio were determined. Normal Pekingese dogs had a significantly smaller liver volume/body weight ratio (16.73 ± 5.67, P < 0.05) than normal non-Pekingese brachycephalic breed dogs (19.54 ± 5.03) and normal nonbrachycephalic breed dogs (18.72 ± 6.52). The liver length/T11 vertebral length ratio in normal Pekingese (4.64 ± 0.65) was significantly smaller than normal non-Pekingese brachycephalic breed dogs (5.16 ± 0.74) and normal nonbrachycephalic breed dogs (5.40 ± 0.74). Ratios of liver volume/body weight and liver length/T11 vertebral length in normal Pekingese were significantly different from Pekingese with liver diseases (P < 0.05). Findings supported our hypothesis that Pekingese dogs have a smaller normal radiographic liver size than other breeds. We recommend using 4.64× the length of the T11 vertebra as a radiographic criterion for normal liver length in Pekingese dogs. © 2012 Veterinary Radiology & Ultrasound.

Application of a PCR-based approach to identify sex in Hawaiian honeycreepers (Drepanidinae)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jarvi, S.I.; Banko, P.C.

2000-01-01

The application of molecular techniques to conservation genetics issues can provide important guidance criteria for management of endangered species. The results from this study establish that PCR-based approaches for sex determination developed in other bird species (Griffiths and Tiwari 1995; Griffiths et al. 1996, 1998; Ellegren 1996) can be applied with a high degree of confidence to at least four species of Hawaiian honeycreepers. This provides a rapid, reliable method with which population managers can optimize sex ratios within populations of endangered species that are subject to artificial manipulation through captive breeding programmes or geographic translocation.

Field Phenotyping Strategies and Breeding for Adaptation of Rice to Drought†

PubMed Central

Fischer, Ken S.; Fukai, Shu; Kumar, Arvind; Leung, Hei; Jongdee, Boonrat

2012-01-01

This paper is a section of the book “Drought phenotyping in crops: from theory to practice” (Monneveux Philippe and Ribaut Jean-Marcel eds, published by CGIAR Generation Challenge Programme. Texcoco, Mexico). The section describes recent experience in drought phenotyping in rice which is one of the most drought-susceptible crops. The section contains genetic and genomic resources for drought adaptation and methods for selection of drought-resistant varieties in rice. In appendix, there is experience from Thailand on integration of direct selection for grain yield and physiological traits to confer drought resistance. PMID:22934036

Enhancing phosphorus and zinc acquisition efficiency in rice: a critical review of root traits and their potential utility in rice breeding

PubMed Central

Rose, T. J.; Impa, S. M.; Rose, M. T.; Pariasca-Tanaka, J.; Mori, A.; Heuer, S.; Johnson-Beebout, S. E.; Wissuwa, M.

2013-01-01

Background Rice is the world's most important cereal crop and phosphorus (P) and zinc (Zn) deficiency are major constraints to its production. Where fertilizer is applied to overcome these nutritional constraints it comes at substantial cost to farmers and the efficiency of fertilizer use is low. Breeding crops that are efficient at acquiring P and Zn from native soil reserves or fertilizer sources has been advocated as a cost-effective solution, but would benefit from knowledge of genes and mechanisms that confer enhanced uptake of these nutrients by roots. Scope This review discusses root traits that have been linked to P and Zn uptake in rice, including traits that increase mobilization of P/Zn from soils, increase the volume of soil explored by roots or root surface area to recapture solubilized nutrients, enhance the rate of P/Zn uptake across the root membrane, and whole-plant traits that affect root growth and nutrient capture. In particular, this review focuses on the potential for these traits to be exploited through breeding programmes to produce nutrient-efficient crop cultivars. Conclusions Few root traits have so far been used successfully in plant breeding for enhanced P and Zn uptake in rice or any other crop. Insufficient genotypic variation for traits or the failure to enhance nutrient uptake under realistic field conditions are likely reasons for the limited success. More emphasis is needed on field studies in mapping populations or association panels to identify those traits and underlying genes that are able to enhance nutrient acquisition beyond the level already present in most cultivars. PMID:23071218

Oestrous synchronization, ovarian superovulation and intraspecific transfers from a closed breeding colony of inbred SLA miniature pigs.

PubMed

Arlaud, J J; Baker, L; Williams, R L; French, A J

2010-12-01

The inbred SLA miniature pig is a unique animal model developed for organ transplantation studies and pre-clinical experimental purposes. Reported oestrous synchronization and superovulation treatments were examined in two SLA haplotypes (AA and DD) to allow collection of embryos for both practical embryo transfer and experimental technologies from a closed breeding colony. Pre-puberal miniature pigs were poor responders to oestrous synchronization treatments, while post-puberal sows were equivalent to commercial sows. Following superovulation, the ovulation number (corpora .hemorrhagica) was higher (p < 0.05) in the cycling sows when compared with non-cycling sows. Ovulations were equivalent to commercial pre-puberal gilts and non-cycling sows (p > 0.05). No difference in ovulation number between haplotypes was observed, which differs from the previous report (DD>AA). Collection of zygotes for pronuclear injection was the highest in the non-cycling post-puberal miniature pig group (p < 0.05), although significantly lower when compared with the commercial pig treatment groups (p < 0.05). The incidence of cystic endometrial hyperplasia in our colony was equivalent to rates observed in commercial pigs. Pronuclear visualization following centrifugation was the highest in the non-cycling miniature sow group and approximates to about 25% of ovulations and about half the rate observed in the commercial pigs (50%). Miniature pig embryos transferred between SLA haplotypes and transfer of DD embryos to commercial pigs resulted in live births at a higher efficiency than previously reported. This study demonstrates the feasibility of undertaking assisted reproductive technologies in a closed breeding colony of inbred SLA miniature pigs without compromise to the breeding programmes. © 2009 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Yield-trait performance landscapes: from theory to application in breeding maize for drought tolerance.

PubMed

Messina, Carlos D; Podlich, Dean; Dong, Zhanshan; Samples, Mitch; Cooper, Mark

2011-01-01

The effectiveness of breeding strategies to increase drought resistance in crops could be increased further if some of the complexities in gene-to-phenotype (G → P) relations associated with epistasis, pleiotropy, and genotype-by-environment interactions could be captured in realistic G → P models, and represented in a quantitative manner useful for selection. This paper outlines a promising methodology. First, the concept of landscapes was extended from the study of fitness landscapes used in evolutionary genetics to the characterization of yield-trait-performance landscapes for agricultural environments and applications in plant breeding. Second, the E(NK) model of trait genetic architecture was extended to incorporate biophysical, physiological, and statistical components. Third, a graphical representation is proposed to visualize the yield-trait performance landscape concept for use in selection decisions. The methodology was demonstrated at a particular stage of a maize breeding programme with the objective of improving the drought tolerance of maize hybrids for the US Western Corn-Belt. The application of the framework to the genetic improvement of drought tolerance in maize supported selection of Doubled Haploid (DH) lines with improved levels of drought tolerance based on physiological genetic knowledge, prediction of test-cross yield within the target population of environments, and their predicted potential to sustain further genetic progress with additional cycles of selection. The existence of rugged yield-performance landscapes with multiple peaks and intervening valleys of lower performance, as shown in this study, supports the proposition that phenotyping strategies, and the directions emphasized in genomic selection can be improved by creating knowledge of the topology of yield-trait performance landscapes.

The Genetic Integrity of the Ex Situ Population of the European Wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) Is Seriously Threatened by Introgression from Domestic Cats (Felis silvestris catus)

PubMed Central

Witzenberger, Kathrin A.; Hochkirch, Axel

2014-01-01

Studies on the genetic diversity and relatedness of zoo populations are crucial for implementing successful breeding programmes. The European wildcat, Felis s. silvestris, is subject to intensive conservation measures, including captive breeding and reintroduction. We here present the first systematic genetic analysis of the captive population of Felis s. silvestris in comparison with a natural wild population. We used microsatellites and mtDNA sequencing to assess genetic diversity, structure and integrity of the ex situ population. Our results show that the ex situ population of the European wildcat is highly structured and that it has a higher genetic diversity than the studied wild population. Some genetic clusters matched the breeding lines of certain zoos or groups of zoos that often exchanged individuals. Two mitochondrial haplotype groups were detected in the in situ populations, one of which was closely related to the most common haplotype found in domestic cats, suggesting past introgression in the wild. Although native haplotypes were also found in the captive population, the majority (68%) of captive individuals shared a common mtDNA haplotype with the domestic cat (Felis s. catus). Only six captive individuals (7.7%) were assigned as wildcats in the STRUCTURE analysis (at K = 2), two of which had domestic cat mtDNA haplotypes and only two captive individuals were assigned as purebred wildcats by NewHybrids. These results suggest that the high genetic diversity of the captive population has been caused by admixture with domestic cats. Therefore, the captive population cannot be recommended for further breeding and reintroduction. PMID:25162450

The genomic architecture of mastitis resistance in dairy sheep.

PubMed

Banos, G; Bramis, G; Bush, S J; Clark, E L; McCulloch, M E B; Smith, J; Schulze, G; Arsenos, G; Hume, D A; Psifidi, A

2017-08-16

Mastitis is the most prevalent disease in dairy sheep with major economic, hygienic and welfare implications. The disease persists in all dairy sheep production systems despite the implementation of improved management practises. Selective breeding for enhanced mastitis resistance may provide the means to further control the disease. In the present study, we investigated the genetic architecture of four mastitis traits in dairy sheep. Individual animal records for clinical mastitis occurrence and three mastitis indicator traits (milk somatic cell count, total viable bacterial count in milk and the California mastitis test) were collected monthly throughout lactation for 609 ewes of the Greek Chios breed. All animals were genotyped with a custom-made 960-single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) DNA array based on markers located in quantitative trait loci (QTL) regions for mastitis resistance previously detected in three other distinct dairy sheep populations. Heritable variation and strong positive genetic correlations were estimated for clinical mastitis occurrence and the three mastitis indicator traits. SNP markers significantly associated with these mastitis traits were confirmed on chromosomes 2, 3, 5, 16 and 19. We identified pathways, molecular interaction networks and functional gene clusters for mastitis resistance. Candidate genes within the detected regions were identified based upon analysis of an ovine transcriptional atlas and transcriptome data derived from milk somatic cells. Relevant candidate genes implicated in innate immunity included SOCS2, CTLA4, C6, C7, C9, PTGER4, DAB2, CARD6, OSMR, PLXNC1, IDH1, ICOS, FYB, and LYFR. The results confirmed the presence of animal genetic variability in mastitis resistance and identified genomic regions associated with specific mastitis traits in the Chios sheep. The conserved genetic architecture of mastitis resistance between distinct dairy sheep breeds suggests that across-breed selection programmes would be feasible.

Demography and disorders of German Shepherd Dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK.

PubMed

O'Neill, Dan G; Coulson, Noel R; Church, David B; Brodbelt, Dave C

2017-01-01

The German Shepherd Dog (GSD) has been widely used for a variety of working roles. However, concerns for the health and welfare of the GSD have been widely aired and there is evidence that breed numbers are now in decline in the UK. Accurate demographic and disorder data could assist with breeding and clinical prioritisation. The VetCompass TM Programme collects clinical data on dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK. This study included all VetCompass TM dogs under veterinary care during 2013. Demographic, mortality and clinical diagnosis data on GSDs were extracted and reported. GSDs dropped from 3.5% of the annual birth cohort in 2005 to 2.2% in 2013. The median longevity of GSDs was 10.3 years (IQR 8.0-12.1, range 0.2-17.0). The most common causes of death were musculoskeletal disorder (16.3%) and inability to stand (14.9%). The most prevalent disorders recorded were otitis externa ( n  = 131, 7.89, 95% CI: 6.64-9.29), osteoarthritis (92, 5.54%, 95% CI: 4.49-6.75), diarrhoea (87, 5.24%, 95% CI: 4.22-6.42), overweight/obesity (86, 5.18%, 95% CI: 4.16-6.36) and aggression (79, 4.76%, 95% CI: 3.79-5.90). This study identified that GSDs have been reducing in numbers in the UK in recent years. The most frequent disorders in GSDs were otitis externa, osteoarthritis, diarrhoea, overweight/obesity and aggression, whilst the most common causes of death were musculoskeletal disorders and inability to stand. Aggression was more prevalent in males than in females. These results may assist veterinarians to offer evidence-based advice at a breed level and help to identify priorities for GSD health that can improve the breed's health and welfare.

Evaluation of Beef by Electronic Tongue System TS-5000Z: Flavor Assessment, Recognition and Chemical Compositions According to Its Correlation with Flavor.

PubMed

Zhang, Xinzhuang; Zhang, Yawei; Meng, Qingxiang; Li, Ning; Ren, Liping

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess the ability of electronic tongue system TS-5000Z to evaluate meat quality based on flavor assessment, recognition and correlation with the meat chemical composition. Meat was sampled from eighteen beef cattle including 6 Wagyu breed cattle, 6 Angus breed cattle and 6 Simmental breed cattle. Chemical composition including dry matter, crude protein, fat, ash, cholesterol and taurine and flavor of the meat were measured. The results showed that different breed cattle had different chemical compositions and flavor, which contains sourness, umami, saltiness, bitterness, astringency, aftertaste from astringency, aftertaste from bitterness and aftertaste from umami, respectively. A principal component analysis (PCA) showed an easily visible separation between different breeds of cattle and indicated that TS-5000Z made a rapid identification of different breeds of cattle. In addition, TS-5000Z seemed to be used to predict the chemical composition according to its correlation with the flavor. In conclusion, TS-5000Z would be used as a rapid analytical tool to evaluate the beef quality both qualitatively and quantitatively, based on flavor assessment, recognition and chemical composition according to its correlation with flavor.

Human and ecological determinants of the spatial structure of local breed diversity.

PubMed

Colino-Rabanal, Victor J; Rodríguez-Díaz, Roberto; Blanco-Villegas, María José; Peris, Salvador J; Lizana, Miguel

2018-04-24

Since domestication, a large number of livestock breeds adapted to local conditions have been created by natural and artificial selection, representing one of the most powerful ways in which human groups have constructed niches to meet their need. Although many authors have described local breeds as the result of culturally and environmentally mediated processes, this study, located in mainland Spain, is the first aimed at identifying and quantifying the environmental and human contributions to the spatial structure of local breed diversity, which we refer to as livestock niche. We found that the more similar two provinces were in terms of human population, ecological characteristics, historical ties, and geographic distance, the more similar the composition of local breeds in their territories. Isolation by human population distance showed the strongest effect, followed by isolation by the environment, thus supporting the view of livestock niche as a socio-cultural product adapted to the local environment, in whose construction humans make good use of their ecological and cultural inheritances. These findings provide a useful framework to understand and to envisage the effects of climate change and globalization on local breeds and their livestock niches.

Critical Thinking Tendencies among Teacher Candidates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Genc, Salih Zeki

2008-01-01

The study aims to determine critical thinking tendencies among teacher candidates. 720 students from primary school teaching department (Primary School Teaching Programme, Science Teaching Programme and Pre-School Teaching Programme) form the sample of the study. When the gender and age distributions were investigated, 253 candidates are males and…

The Female Predominance of a Vocational and Scientific Education Programme for High School Students in Rio de Janeiro and Recife, Brazil

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Sousa, Isabela Cabral Felix; Braga, Cristiane Nogueira; Frutuoso, Telma de Mello; Ferreira, Cristina Araripe; Vargas, Diego da Silva

2008-01-01

The aim of this research is to understand how students view their volunteer choices to take part in a specific scientific education programme while they attend high school. This programme is called (Provoc) located at Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Brazil. Historically, this programme has been characterised by a significant predominance of…

Effects of Hand-Rearing on Reproductive Success in Captive Large Cats Panthera tigris altaica, Uncia uncia, Acinonyx jubatus and Neofelis nebulosa.

PubMed

Hampson, Maja Coulthard; Schwitzer, Christoph

2016-01-01

Species Survival Plans and European Endangered Species Programmes have been developed for several species of endangered felids in order to build up captive reserve populations and support their conservation in the wild. The Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica), snow leopard (Uncia uncia), cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) and clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) are managed in such ex situ conservation programmes. Many zoological institutions hand-rear offspring if rearing by the mother fails. Hand-rearing can cause behavioural problems, resulting in decreased copulation and lower breeding success in some species. In this study, studbook data subsets were examined: from 1901 to 2011; and 2000 to 2011. We analysed records from 4273 Siberian tigers, 2045 snow leopards, 3435 cheetahs, and 804 clouded leopards. We assessed the number of offspring produced, litter size, age at first reproduction, longevity, infant mortality and generational rearing of hand-reared versus parent-reared individuals. Hand-reared Siberian tigers (p<0.01; p = 0.0113), snow leopards (p<0.01), male cheetahs (p<0.01) and female clouded leopards (p<0.01) produced fewer offspring than parent-reared individuals. Hand-reared snow leopard breeding pairs had larger litters than parent-reared pairs (p = 0.0404). Hand-reared snow leopard females reproduced later in life (p<0.01). Hand-reared female Siberian tigers lived shorter lives, while hand-reared cheetahs lived longer (p<0.01; p = 0.0107). Infant mortality was higher in hand-reared snow leopards (p<0.01) and male cheetahs (p = 0.0395) in the 1901-2011 dataset and lower in hand-reared female Siberian tiger and male snow leopard cubs (p = 0.0404; p = 0.0349) in the 2000-2011 dataset. The rearing of the mother and subsequent rearing of offspring showed a significant relationship for all species (p<0.01 for Siberian tiger and snow leopard cubs; p<0.001 for cheetah and snow leopard cubs). Taking into account the limited carrying capacity of zoos, the results of this study highlight that careful consideration should be taken when deciding whether or not to hand-rear individuals that are part of Species Survival Plans and European Endangered Species Programmes.

Advances in Japanese pear breeding in Japan

PubMed Central

Saito, Toshihiro

2016-01-01

The Japanese pear (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai) is one of the most widely grown fruit trees in Japan, and it has been used throughout Japan’s history. The commercial production of pears increased rapidly with the successive discoveries of the chance seedling cultivars ‘Chojuro’ and ‘Nijisseiki’ around 1890, and the development of new cultivars has continued since 1915. The late-maturing, leading cultivars ‘Niitaka’ and ‘Shinko’ were released during the initial breeding stage. Furthermore, systematic breeding by the Horticultural Research Station (currently, NARO Institute of Fruit Tree Science, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NIFTS)) began in 1935, which mainly aimed to improve fruit quality by focusing on flesh texture and black spot disease resistance. To date, 22 cultivars have been released, including ‘Kosui’, ‘Hosui’, and ‘Akizuki’, which are current leading cultivars from the breeding program. Four induced mutant cultivars induced by gamma irradiation, which exhibit some resistance to black spot disease, were released from the Institute of Radiation Breeding. Among these cultivars, ‘Gold Nijisseiki’ has become a leading cultivar. Moreover, ‘Nansui’ from the Nagano prefectural institute breeding program was released, and it has also become a leading cultivar. Current breeding objectives at NIFTS mainly combine superior fruit quality with traits related to labor and cost reduction, multiple disease resistance, or self-compatibility. Regarding future breeding, marker-assisted selection for each trait, QTL analyses, genome-wide association studies, and genomic selection analyses are currently in progress. PMID:27069390

Frequency of DEA 1 antigen in 1037 mongrel and PUREBREED dogs in ITALY.

PubMed

Carli, E; Carminato, A; Ravagnan, S; Capello, K; Antognoni, M T; Miglio, A; Furlanello, T; Proverbio, D; Spada, E; Stefani, A; Mutinelli, F; Vascellari, M

2017-11-29

The prevalence of dog erythrocyte antigen (DEA 1) in canine population is approximately 40-60%. Often data are limited to a small number of breeds and/or dogs. The aims of this study were to evaluate frequency of DEA 1 in a large population of purebred and mongrel dogs including Italian native breeds and to recognize a possible association between DEA 1 and breed, sex, and genetic and phenotypical/functional classifications of breeds. Frequencies of DEA 1 blood group collected from screened/enrolled blood donors and from healthy and sick dogs were retrospectively evaluated. The breed and the sex were recorded when available. DEA 1 blood typing was assessed by immunocromatographic test on K3EDTA blood samples. The prevalence of DEA 1 antigen was statistically related to breed, gender, Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) and genotypic grouping. Sixty-two per cent dogs resulted DEA 1+ and 38% DEA 1-. DEA 1- was statistically associated with Dogo Argentino, Dobermann, German Shepherd, Boxer, Corso dogs, the molossian dogs, the FCI group 1, 2 and 3 and the genetic groups "working dogs" and "mastiff". DEA 1+ was statistically associated with Rottweiler, Briquet Griffon Vendéen, Bernese mountain dog, Golden Retriever, the hunting breeds, the FCI group 4, 6, 7 and 8 and the genetic groups "scent hounds" and "retrievers". No gender association was observed. Data obtained by this work may be clinically useful to drive blood donor enrollment and selection among different breeds.

Dynamics of faecal egg count in natural infection of Haemonchus spp. in Indian goats

PubMed Central

Agrawal, Nimisha; Sharma, Dinesh Kumar; Mandal, Ajoy; Rout, Pramod Kumar; Kushwah, Yogendra Kumar

2015-01-01

Aim: Dynamics of faecal egg count (FEC) in Haemonchus spp. infected goats of two Indian goat breeds, Jamunapari and Sirohi, in natural conditions was studied and effects of genetic and non-genetic factors were determined. Materials and Methods: A total of 1399 faecal samples of goats of Jamunapari and Sirohi breeds, maintained at CIRG, Makhdoom, Mathura, India and naturally infected with Haemonchus spp., were processed and FEC was performed. Raw data generated on FEC were transformed by loge (FEC+100) and transformed data (least squares mean of FEC [LFEC]) were analyzed using a mixed model least squares analysis for fitting constant. Fixed effects such as breed, physiological status, season and year of sampling and breed × physiological states interaction were used. Result: The incidence of Haemomchus spp. infection in Jamunapari and Sirohi does was 63.01 and 47.06%, respectively. The mean LFEC of both Jamunapari and Sirohi (does) at different physiological stages, namely dry, early pregnant, late pregnant early lactating and late lactating stages were compared. Breed, season and year of sampling had a significant effect on FEC in Haemomchus spp. infection. Effect of breed × physiological interaction was also significant. The late pregnant does of both breeds had higher FEC when compared to does in other stages. Conclusion: Breed difference in FEC was more pronounced at the time of post kidding (early lactation) when sharp change in FEC was observed. PMID:27046993

Overlap in genomic variation associated with milk fat composition in Holstein Friesian and Dutch native dual-purpose breeds.

PubMed

Maurice-Van Eijndhoven, M H T; Bovenhuis, H; Veerkamp, R F; Calus, M P L

2015-09-01

The aim of this study was to identify if genomic variations associated with fatty acid (FA) composition are similar between the Holstein-Friesian (HF) and native dual-purpose breeds used in the Dutch dairy industry. Phenotypic and genotypic information were available for the breeds Meuse-Rhine-Yssel (MRY), Dutch Friesian (DF), Groningen White Headed (GWH), and HF. First, the reliability of genomic breeding values of the native Dutch dual-purpose cattle breeds MRY, DF, and GWH was evaluated using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) effects estimated in HF, including all SNP or subsets with stronger associations in HF. Second, the genomic variation of the regions associated with FA composition in HF (regions on Bos taurus autosome 5, 14, and 26), were studied in the different breeds. Finally, similarities in genotype and allele frequencies between MRY, DF, GWH, and HF breeds were assessed for specific regions associated with FA composition. On average across the traits, the highest reliabilities of genomic prediction were estimated for GWH (0.158) and DF (0.116) when the 8 to 22 SNP with the strongest association in HF were included. With the same set of SNP, GEBV for MRY were the least reliable (0.022). This indicates that on average only 2 (MRY) to 16% (GWH) of the genomic variation in HF is shared with the native Dutch dual-purpose breeds. The comparison of predicted variances of different regions associated with milk and milk fat composition showed that breeds clearly differed in genomic variation within these regions. Finally, the correlations of allele frequencies between breeds across the 8 to 22 SNP with the strongest association in HF were around 0.8 between the Dutch native dual-purpose breeds, whereas the correlations between the native breeds and HF were clearly lower and around 0.5. There was no consistent relationship between the reliabilities of genomic prediction for a specific breed and the correlation between the allele frequencies of this breed and HF. In conclusion, most of the genomic variation associated with FA composition in the Dutch dual-purpose breeds appears to be breed-specific. Furthermore, the minor allele frequencies of genes having an effect on the milk FA composition in HF were shown to be much smaller in the breeds MRY, DF, and GWH, especially for the MRY breed. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Short communication: Field fertility in Holstein bulls: Can type of breeding strategy (artificial insemination following estrus versus timed artificial insemination) alter service sire fertility?

PubMed

Batista, E O S; Vieira, L M; Sá Filho, M F; Carvalho, P D; Rivera, H; Cabrera, V; Wiltbank, M C; Baruselli, P S; Souza, A H

2016-03-01

The aim of this study was to compare pregnancy per artificial insemination (P/AI) from service sires used on artificial insemination after estrus detection (EAI) or timed artificial insemination (TAI) breedings. Confirmed artificial insemination outcome records from 3 national data centers were merged and used as a data source. Criteria edits were herd's overall P/AI within 20 and 60%, a minimum of 30 breedings reported per herd-year, service sires that were used in at least 10 different herds with no more than 40% of the breedings performed in a single herd, breeding records from lactating Holstein cows receiving their first to fifth postpartum breedings occurring within 45 to 375 d in milk, and cows with 1 to 5 lactations producing a minimum of 6,804 kg. Initially 1,142,859 breeding records were available for analysis. After editing, a subset of the data (n=857,539) was used to classify breeding codes into either EAI or TAI based on weekly insemination profile in each individual herd. The procedure HPMIXED of SAS was used and took into account effects of state, farm, cow identification, breeding month, year, parity, days in milk at breeding, and service sire. This model was used independently for the 2 types osires f breeding codes (EAI vs. TAI), and service sire P/AI rankings within each breeding code were performed for sires with >700 breedings (94 sires) and for with >1,000 breedings (n=56 sires) following both EAI and TAI. Correlation for service sire fertility rankings following EAI and TAI was performed with the PROC CORR of SAS. Service sire P/AI rankings produced with EAI and TAI were 0.81 (for sires with >700 breedings) and 0.84 (for sires with >1,000 breedings). In addition, important changes occurred in service sire P/AI ranking to EAI and TAI for sires with less than 10,000 recorded artificial inseminations. In conclusion, the type of breeding strategy (EAI or TAI) was associated with some changes in service sire P/AI ranking, but ranking changes declined as number of breedings per service sire increased. Future randomized studies need to explore whether changes in P/AI ranking to EAI versus TAI are due to specific semen characteristics. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Professional Learning and Agency in an Identity Coaching Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vähäsantanen, Katja; Hökkä, Päivi; Paloniemi, Susanna; Herranen, Sanna; Eteläpelto, Anneli

2017-01-01

This article addresses the professional learning that occurred in an identity coaching programme. The arts-based programme aimed to enhance the participants' professional learning, notably through helping them to process their professional identities. Professional learning was seen as resourced by the participants' professional agency, and by the…

Novice Teachers' Experiences of Induction in Selected Primary Schools in Namibia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dishena, Robert; Mokoena, Sello

2016-01-01

Problem Statement: Many schools use induction programmes with the aim of contributing to novice teachers' well-being and professional development. However, the content of induction programmes varies across schools and countries. Given that existing studies do not conclusively establish the programme components with the greatest potential to affect…

Pre-Service Teachers' Perceptions of a Short-Term International Experience Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barkhuizen, Gary; Feryok, Anne

2006-01-01

Short-term international experiences (STIE) are becoming a regular, sometimes required, feature of pre-service language teacher education programmes. Often inappropriately termed "immersion programmes", they aim to give teachers the opportunity to improve their language proficiency in the language they will teach, to develop their…

Curriculum Innovation in Undergraduate Accounting Degree Programmes through "Virtual Internships"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bayerlein, Leopold

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss major criticisms of traditional undergraduate accounting programmes and to introduce virtual internships as a curriculum innovation that addresses these criticisms. Design/methodology/approach: The main aim of the paper is to inspire curriculum innovation in accounting programmes though the…

Negotiating and Constructing an Educationally Relevant Leadership Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Giles, David L.; Smith, Richard J. M.

2012-01-01

Purpose: This article aims to discuss the conceptualisation process of developing a new one-year taught-master's programme in educational leadership at an Aotearoa/New Zealand university. Design/methodology/approach: The perspective taken is a highly personalised one from the two lead "drivers" of the programme and outlines the two-year…

Context Matters in Programme Implementation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarke, Aleisha M.; O'Sullivan, Maeve; Barry, Margaret M.

2010-01-01

Purpose: This paper seeks to report on the evaluation of Zippy's Friends, an international emotional wellbeing programme, for primary school children in disadvantaged schools in Ireland. The paper aims to present case studies of the profile and ethos of two specific schools participating in the programme, their links with the local community, the…

The Effect of a Basic Home Stimulation Programme on the Development of Young Children Infected with HIV

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Potterton, Joanne; Stewart, Aimee; Cooper, Peter; Becker, Pieter

2010-01-01

Aims: The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) potentially causes a significant encephalopathy and resultant developmental delay in infected children. The aim of this study was to determine whether a home-based intervention programme could have an impact on the neurodevelopmental status of children infected with HIV. Method: A longitudinal,…

Mobility as a Continuum: European Commission Mobility Policies for Schools and Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dvir, Yuval; Yemini, Miri

2017-01-01

This study explores the rationale and aims of European Commission (EC) mobility programmes for schools and higher education systems, namely the Comenius and the European Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students (ERASMUS) funding schemes. Our findings indicate that the aims, rationales and means of mobility programmes for the school…

The efficacy of self-management programmes for increasing physical activity in community-dwelling adults with acquired brain injury (ABI): a systematic review

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Acquired brain injury (ABI), often arising from stroke or trauma, is a common cause of long-term disability, physical inactivity and poor health outcomes globally. Individuals with ABI face many barriers to increasing physical activity, such as impaired mobility, access to services and knowledge regarding management of physical activity. Self-management programmes aim to build skills to enable an individual to manage their condition, including their physical activity levels, over a long period of time. Programme delivery modes can include traditional face-to-face methods, or remote delivery, such as via the Internet. However, it is unknown how effective these programmes are at specifically improving physical activity in community-dwelling adults with ABI, or how effective and acceptable remote delivery of self-management programmes is for this population. Methods/Design We will conduct a comprehensive search for articles indexed on MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsychINFO, AMED, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), PEDro and Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED) databases that assess the efficacy of a self-management intervention, which aims to enhance levels of physical activity in adults living in the community with ABI. Two independent reviewers will screen studies for eligibility, assess risk of bias, and extract relevant data. Where possible, a meta-analysis will be performed to calculate the overall effect size of self-management interventions on physical activity levels and on outcomes associated with physical activity. A comparison will also be made between face-to-face and remote delivery modes of self-management programmes, in order to examine efficacy and acceptability. A content analysis of self-management programmes will also be conducted to compare aspects of the intervention that are associated with more favourable outcomes. Discussion This systematic review aims to review the efficacy of self-management programmes aimed at increasing physical activity levels in adults living in the community with ABI, and the efficacy and acceptability of remote delivery of these programmes. If effective, remote delivery of self-management programmes may offer an alternative way to overcome barriers and empower individuals with ABI to increase their levels of physical activity, improving health and general wellbeing. Trial registration Our protocol has been registered on PROSPERO 2013: CRD42013006748. PMID:24745356

The efficacy of self-management programmes for increasing physical activity in community-dwelling adults with acquired brain injury (ABI): a systematic review.

PubMed

Jones, Taryn M; Hush, Julia M; Dear, Blake F; Titov, Nickolai; Dean, Catherine M

2014-04-21

Acquired brain injury (ABI), often arising from stroke or trauma, is a common cause of long-term disability, physical inactivity and poor health outcomes globally. Individuals with ABI face many barriers to increasing physical activity, such as impaired mobility, access to services and knowledge regarding management of physical activity. Self-management programmes aim to build skills to enable an individual to manage their condition, including their physical activity levels, over a long period of time. Programme delivery modes can include traditional face-to-face methods, or remote delivery, such as via the Internet. However, it is unknown how effective these programmes are at specifically improving physical activity in community-dwelling adults with ABI, or how effective and acceptable remote delivery of self-management programmes is for this population. We will conduct a comprehensive search for articles indexed on MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsychINFO, AMED, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), PEDro and Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED) databases that assess the efficacy of a self-management intervention, which aims to enhance levels of physical activity in adults living in the community with ABI. Two independent reviewers will screen studies for eligibility, assess risk of bias, and extract relevant data. Where possible, a meta-analysis will be performed to calculate the overall effect size of self-management interventions on physical activity levels and on outcomes associated with physical activity. A comparison will also be made between face-to-face and remote delivery modes of self-management programmes, in order to examine efficacy and acceptability. A content analysis of self-management programmes will also be conducted to compare aspects of the intervention that are associated with more favourable outcomes. This systematic review aims to review the efficacy of self-management programmes aimed at increasing physical activity levels in adults living in the community with ABI, and the efficacy and acceptability of remote delivery of these programmes. If effective, remote delivery of self-management programmes may offer an alternative way to overcome barriers and empower individuals with ABI to increase their levels of physical activity, improving health and general wellbeing. Our protocol has been registered on PROSPERO 2013: CRD42013006748.

Whole genome population genetics analysis of Sudanese goats identifies regions harboring genes associated with major traits.

PubMed

Rahmatalla, Siham A; Arends, Danny; Reissmann, Monika; Said Ahmed, Ammar; Wimmers, Klaus; Reyer, Henry; Brockmann, Gudrun A

2017-10-23

Sudan is endowed with a variety of indigenous goat breeds which are used for meat and milk production and which are well adapted to the local environment. The aim of the present study was to determine the genetic diversity and relationship within and between the four main Sudanese breeds of Nubian, Desert, Taggar and Nilotic goats. Using the 50 K SNP chip, 24 animals of each breed were genotyped. More than 96% of high quality SNPs were polymorphic with an average minor allele frequency of 0.3. In all breeds, no significant difference between observed (0.4) and expected (0.4) heterozygosity was found and the inbreeding coefficients (F IS ) did not differ from zero. F st coefficients for the genetic distance between breeds also did not significantly deviate from zero. In addition, the analysis of molecular variance revealed that 93% of the total variance in the examined population can be explained by differences among individuals, while only 7% result from differences between the breeds. These findings provide evidence for high genetic diversity and little inbreeding within breeds on one hand, and low diversity between breeds on the other hand. Further examinations using Nei's genetic distance and STRUCTURE analysis clustered Taggar goats distinct from the other breeds. In a principal component (PC) analysis, PC1 could separate Taggar, Nilotic and a mix of Nubian and Desert goats into three groups. The SNPs that contributed strongly to PC1 showed high F st values in Taggar goat versus the other goat breeds. PCA allowed us to identify target genomic regions which contain genes known to influence growth, development, bone formation and the immune system. The information on the genetic variability and diversity in this study confirmed that Taggar goat is genetically different from the other goat breeds in Sudan. The SNPs identified by the first principal components show high F st values in Taggar goat and allowed to identify candidate genes which can be used in the development of breed selection programs to improve local breeds and find genetic factors contributing to the adaptation to harsh environments.

Adult sex ratios and their implications for cooperative breeding in birds.

PubMed

Komdeur, Jan; Székely, Tamás; Long, Xiaoyan; Kingma, Sjouke A

2017-09-19

Cooperative breeding is a form of breeding system where in addition to a core breeding pair, one or more usually non-breeding individuals provide offspring care. Cooperative breeding is widespread in birds, but its origin and maintenance in contemporary populations are debated. Although deviations in adult sex ratio (ASR, the proportion of males in the adult population) have been hypothesized to influence the occurrence of cooperative breeding because of the resulting surplus of one sex and limited availability of breeding partners, this hypothesis has not been tested across a wide range of taxa. By using data from 188 bird species and phylogenetically controlled analyses, we show that cooperatively breeding species have more male-biased ASRs than non-cooperative species. Importantly, ASR predicts helper sex ratio: in species with more male-biased ASR, helper sex ratio is also more male biased. We also show that offspring sex ratios do not predict ASRs, so that the skewed ASRs emerge during the period when individuals aim to obtain a breeding position or later during adulthood. In line with this result, we found that ASR (among both cooperatively and non-cooperatively breeding species) is inversely related to sex bias in dispersal distance, suggesting that the cost of dispersal is more severe for the further-dispersing sex. As females usually disperse further in birds, this explains the generally male-biased ASR, and in combination with benefits of philopatry for males, this probably explains why ASR is more biased in cooperatively breeding species. Taken together, our results suggest that a sex bias in helping in cooperatively breeding species relates to biased ASRs. We propose that this relationship is driven by sex-specific costs and benefits of dispersal and helping, as well as other demographic factors. Future phylogenetic comparative and experimental work is needed to establish how this relationship emerges.This article is part of the themed issue 'Adult sex ratios and reproductive decisions: a critical re-examination of sex differences in human and animal societies'. © 2017 The Author(s).

The European Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (Euro-GASP)--a sentinel approach in the European Union (EU)/European Economic Area (EEA).

PubMed

Spiteri, Gianfranco; Cole, Michelle; Unemo, Magnus; Hoffmann, Steen; Ison, Catherine; van de Laar, Marita

2013-12-01

Antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae is monitored in the European Union/European Economic Area through the European Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (Euro-GASP) coordinated by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Euro-GASP includes a sentinel surveillance programme which aims to detect in a timely manner changes in resistance patterns and inform treatment guidelines. The programme aims to test a representative number of isolates from each European Union/European Economic Area member state per year for a range of therapeutically relevant antimicrobials through a biannual hybrid centralised/decentralised system. Testing is supported by an External Quality Assurance programme and a laboratory training programme. Participation in the programme has increased to 21 countries in 2012. Euro-GASP has been able to detect the rapid spread of isolates with decreased susceptibility to cefixime across Europe in 2010 and 2011. Results from the programme have informed changes in European treatment guidelines for gonorrhoea and led to the development of the 'Response plan to control and manage the threat of multidrug resistant gonorrhoea in Europe'. Future challenges for Euro-GASP include supporting countries to participate in Euro-GASP through decentralised testing, improving timeliness and epidemiological data quality, and increasing participation from Eastern Europe.

Rural-origin health professional students’ perceptions of a support programme offered by Umthombo Youth Development Foundation

PubMed Central

Gumede, Dumisani M.; Campbell, Laura M.; MacGregor, Richard G.

2017-01-01

Background Staffing of rural healthcare facilities is a challenge, with literature supporting the selection and training of rural-origin students. The Umthombo Youth Development Foundation (UYDF) scholarship scheme supports rural students to train as healthcare professionals and offers a unique support programme. This programme has not been evaluated, and this study sought UYDF-supported students’ perceptions of the programme. Aim The aim of the study was to assess students’ perceptions of the UYDF support programme. Methods This was an observational descriptive study. Participants were students supported by UYDF and data were collected by a questionnaire with a Likert scale to assess perceptions of various aspects of the support programme. Results Students’ perceptions about the UYDF support programme were generally positive, with initial orientation and information sharing perceived as useful. Some respondents did not perceive value in holding discussions around English proficiency. The support required appeared to diminish with increasing years of study. Conclusion A comprehensive, proactive compulsory support system that provides both academic and social support was perceived as useful by the UYDF students. Further research is required around aspects such as encouraging English proficiency. In future, the support programme could prioritise students in the early years of their study. PMID:28828873

Social integration and substance use: assessing the effects of an early intervention programme for youth.

PubMed

Brand, Amélie; Guillod, Line; Habersaat, Stéphanie; Panchaud, Evelyne; Stéphan, Philippe; Urben, Sébastien

2018-06-01

Appropriate social integration has been shown to be a protective factor against substance use among adolescents and associated negative consequences. Promoting social integration through early intervention with adolescents using substances is thus necessary and is the aim of the Identification, Assessment and Follow-up of Adolescents with Substance Use (in French, Dépistage - évaluation - parrainage d'adolescents consommateurs de substances (DEPART) programme. The present study aimed to describe this programme and its participants from 2009 to 2013 as well as to assess its effects on social integration. Data from 398 adolescents using substances who attended the DEPART programme were analysed. The results showed that almost 80% of the adolescents admitted to the DEPART programme were boys, with a large proportion using cannabis. Globally, social integration did not increase from admission to discharge from the programme, but a shift was observed for school and professional integration. Additionally, after the intervention, we observed that social integration was more important in younger patients. This study showed that adolescents with problematic substance use mostly consumed soft drugs and that those who were integrated into the DEPART programme at a younger age were more likely to be socially integrated at the end of the programme. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Breed effect between Mos rooster (Galician indigenous breed) and Sasso T-44 line and finishing feed effect of commercial fodder or corn.

PubMed

Franco, D; Rois, D; Vázquez, J A; Purriños, L; González, R; Lorenzo, J M

2012-02-01

The aim of this research was to study the Mos rooster breed growth performance, carcass, and meat quality. The breed effect (Mos vs. Sasso T-44) and finishing feed in the last month (fodder vs. corn) on animal growth, carcass characteristics, meat quality, and fatty and amino acid profiles were studied using a randomized block design with initial weight as covariance. In total, 80 roosters (n = 30 of Sasso T-44 line and n = 50 of Mos breed) were used. They were separated by breed and allocated to 2 feeding treatment groups (concentrate and corn). Each feeding treatment group consisted of 15 and 25 roosters, for Sasso T-44 line and Mos breed, respectively. Finishing feeding did not affect growth parameters in the 2 genotypes of rooster tested (P > 0.05). Nonetheless, the comparison between both types of roosters led to significant differences in growth parameters (P < 0.05). Regarding carcass characteristics, no significant influences of finishing feeding treatment (P > 0.05) were found, and as expected, carcass weight clearly differed between genotypes due to the lower growth rate of Mos roosters. However, drumstick, thigh, and wing percentages were greater in the Mos breed than in the hybrid line. In color instrumental traits, roosters feeding with corn showed breast meat with significantly (P < 0.001) higher a* and b* values than those of cocks feeding with commercial fodder. Values of shear force were less than 2 kg for both genotypes, thus it can be classified as very tender meat. Finishing with corn significantly increased (P < 0.001) the polyunsaturated fatty acid content in the breast; the Mos breed had a polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acid ratio of 0.73. The amino acid profile of the indigenous breed was not similar to that of the commercial strain. Finishing feeding treatment had a greater influence than breed effect on amino acid profile.

Environmental and genetic factors affecting milk yield and quality in three Italian sheep breeds.

PubMed

Selvaggi, Maria; D'Alessandro, Angela Gabriella; Dario, Cataldo

2017-02-01

The aims of the study described in the Research Communication were to determine the level of influence of some environmental factors on milk yield and quality traits, including lactose, and lactation length in ewes belonging to three different Italian breeds and to estimate the heritability for the same traits. A total of 2138 lactation records obtained from 535 ewes belonging to three different Italian breeds (Comisana, Leccese, and Sarda) were used. Breed significantly affected all of the considered traits. Moreover, year of lambing affected milk yield and lactation length without influence on milk quality traits. Parity affected significantly only the milk yield, whereas type of birth showed its effect on milk yield, fat, protein, and lactose yield. On the whole, the presently reported heritability estimates are within the range of those already obtained in other dairy breeds by other authors, with values for lactation length being very low in all the investigated populations. Considering the heritability estimates for lactose content and yield, to the best of our knowledge, there is a lack of information on these parameters in ovine species and this is the first report on heritability of lactose content and yield in dairy sheep breeds. Our results suggest that genetic variability for milk traits other than lactation length is adequate for selection indicating a good response to selection in these breeds.

Preliminary analysis on hybrid vigor in Indonesian indigenous and crossbred cattle population using data from published studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prastowo, S.; Widi, TSM; Widyas, N.

2017-04-01

Hybrid vigor or heterosis is the phenomenon where a crossbreed progeny has better performance compared to its parents. Heterosis can be quantified relative to the mid-parents value or relative to one of its parent’s population average by crossing two breeds. Crossbreeding is aimed to increase the production performance of local breeds. According to the Indonesian government policy, crossbreeding program is one of main strategies to achieve meat self-sufficiency. We explore the possibilities observing of heterosis exhibited by crossing Bali and Peranakan Onggole (PO) cattle as local breed with the exotic breed based on the published data. In this paper, growth and reproductive traits from Bali and PO from year 2000-2010 were used for analysis. Moreover, Limousine and Simmental exotic breed data were collected from official information of artificial insemination (AI) centre. Data in growth trait (chest girth, mature weight, weaning weight and yearling weight) in all breeds and their crosses were then analysed using standard heterosis estimation method. Result, shows that crossbred offspring perform better in the growth trait in relative to Bali and PO as local breed. Specifically in Bali crossed with PO, the offspring shown better estimated heterosis effect in yearling weight compared to both parents. Despite heterosis were observed in some traits, careful planning of crossbreeding program is a must in order to avoid the loss of genetic variance.

Genome-Wide Specific Selection in Three Domestic Sheep Breeds.

PubMed

Wang, Huihua; Zhang, Li; Cao, Jiaxve; Wu, Mingming; Ma, Xiaomeng; Liu, Zhen; Liu, Ruizao; Zhao, Fuping; Wei, Caihong; Du, Lixin

2015-01-01

Commercial sheep raised for mutton grow faster than traditional Chinese sheep breeds. Here, we aimed to evaluate genetic selection among three different types of sheep breed: two well-known commercial mutton breeds and one indigenous Chinese breed. We first combined locus-specific branch lengths and di statistical methods to detect candidate regions targeted by selection in the three different populations. The results showed that the genetic distances reached at least medium divergence for each pairwise combination. We found these two methods were highly correlated, and identified many growth-related candidate genes undergoing artificial selection. For production traits, APOBR and FTO are associated with body mass index. For meat traits, ALDOA, STK32B and FAM190A are related to marbling. For reproduction traits, CCNB2 and SLC8A3 affect oocyte development. We also found two well-known genes, GHR (which affects meat production and quality) and EDAR (associated with hair thickness) were associated with German mutton merino sheep. Furthermore, four genes (POL, RPL7, MSL1 and SHISA9) were associated with pre-weaning gain in our previous genome-wide association study. Our results indicated that combine locus-specific branch lengths and di statistical approaches can reduce the searching ranges for specific selection. And we got many credible candidate genes which not only confirm the results of previous reports, but also provide a suite of novel candidate genes in defined breeds to guide hybridization breeding.

Accelerating plant breeding.

PubMed

De La Fuente, Gerald N; Frei, Ursula K; Lübberstedt, Thomas

2013-12-01

The growing demand for food with limited arable land available necessitates that the yield of major food crops continues to increase over time. Advances in marker technology, predictive statistics, and breeding methodology have allowed for continued increases in crop performance through genetic improvement. However, one major bottleneck is the generation time of plants, which is biologically limited and has not been improved since the introduction of doubled haploid technology. In this opinion article, we propose to implement in vitro nurseries, which could substantially shorten generation time through rapid cycles of meiosis and mitosis. This could prove a useful tool for speeding up future breeding programs with the aim of sustainable food production. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Genetic engineering of forest woody plants].

PubMed

Mashkina, O S; Butorina, A K

2003-03-01

The present state of genetic engineering (GE) of forest woody plants is considered with special reference to the materials of the International Conference "Wood, Breeding, Biotechnology and Industrial Expectations" held in France in June, 2001. Main tree species subjected to GE are listed, aims of constructing transgenic plants discussed, and methods described. Major achievements in the field are considered along with the problems associated with the employment of GE in the breeding of forest woody plants.

Massive sequencing of Ulmus minor’s transcriptome provides new molecular tools for a genus under the constant threat of Dutch elm disease

PubMed Central

Perdiguero, Pedro; Venturas, Martin; Cervera, María Teresa; Gil, Luis; Collada, Carmen

2015-01-01

Elms, especially Ulmus minor and U. americana, are carrying out a hard battle against Dutch elm disease (DED). This vascular wilt disease, caused by Ophiostoma ulmi and O. novo-ulmi, appeared in the twentieth century and killed millions of elms across North America and Europe. Elm breeding and conservation programmes have identified a reduced number of DED tolerant genotypes. In this study, three U. minor genotypes with contrasted levels of tolerance to DED were exposed to several biotic and abiotic stresses in order to (i) obtain a de novo assembled transcriptome of U. minor using 454 pyrosequencing, (ii) perform a functional annotation of the assembled transcriptome, (iii) identify genes potentially involved in the molecular response to environmental stress, and (iv) develop gene-based markers to support breeding programmes. A total of 58,429 putative unigenes were identified after assembly and filtering of the transcriptome. 32,152 of these unigenes showed homology with proteins identified in the genome from the most common plant model species. Well-known family proteins and transcription factors involved in abiotic, biotic or both stresses were identified after functional annotation. A total of 30,693 polymorphisms were identified in 7,125 isotigs, a large number of them corresponding to single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; 27,359). In a subset randomly selected for validation, 87% of the SNPs were confirmed. The material generated may be valuable for future Ulmus gene expression, population genomics and association genetics studies, especially taking into account the scarce molecular information available for this genus and the great impact that DED has on elm populations. PMID:26257751

Captivity results in disparate loss of gut microbial diversity in closely related hosts

PubMed Central

Kohl, Kevin D.; Skopec, Michele M.; Dearing, M. Denise

2014-01-01

The gastrointestinal tracts of animals contain diverse communities of microbes that provide a number of services to their hosts. There is recent concern that these communities may be lost as animals enter captive breeding programmes, due to changes in diet and/or exposure to environmental sources. However, empirical evidence documenting the effects of captivity and captive birth on gut communities is lacking. We conducted three studies to advance our knowledge in this area. First, we compared changes in microbial diversity of the gut communities of two species of woodrats (Neotoma albigula, a dietary generalist, and Neotoma stephensi, which specializes on juniper) before and after 6–9 months in captivity. Second, we investigated whether reintroduction of the natural diet of N. stephensi could restore microbial diversity. Third, we compared the microbial communities between offspring born in captivity and their mothers. We found that the dietary specialist, N. stephensi, lost a greater proportion of its native gut microbiota and overall diversity in response to captivity compared with N. albigula. Addition of the natural diet increased the proportion of the original microbiota but did not restore overall diversity in N. stephensi. Offspring of N. albigula more closely resembled their mothers compared with offspring–mother pairs of N. stephensi. This research suggests that the microbiota of dietary specialists may be more susceptible to captivity. Furthermore, this work highlights the need for further studies investigating the mechanisms underlying how loss of microbial diversity may vary between hosts and what an acceptable level of diversity loss may be to a host. This knowledge will aid conservation biologists in designing captive breeding programmes effective at maintaining microbial diversity. Sequence Accession Numbers: NCBI's Sequence Read Archive (SRA) – SRP033616 PMID:27293630

Synchronisation of the follicular wave with GnRH and PGF2α analogue for a timed breeding programme in dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius).

PubMed

Manjunatha, B M; Al-Bulushi, Samir; Pratap, N

2015-09-01

This study was conducted to develop a hormone protocol that precisely synchronises follicular development for a timed breeding (TB) programme in dromedary camels. To examine the effect of GnRH treatment at four known stages of follicular development, animals were treated with GnRH when the largest follicle of the wave was 4-7, 8-11, 12-17 and 18-27 mm in diameter. Transrectal ultrasonography was carried out daily up to 20 days after treatment. A hormone protocol (FWsynch) for the synchronisation of follicular wave and TB consisting of GnRH-1 (GnRH) on Day 0, PG-1 (PGF2α) on Day 7, GnRH-2 on Day 10 and PG-2 on Day 17 was initiated at four known stages of follicular development. Ovarian structures were monitored by ultrasonography. The FWsynch protocol was initiated at random stages of follicle development and animals were bred by natural mating at a fixed time at the research facility and in field. The pregnancy was diagnosed by ultrasonography. GnRH treatment in animals with a dominant follicle (DF) of ≥ 11 mm in diameter resulted in synchronous new follicular wave emergence, whereas in animals with a DF ≤ 10 mm, the treatment did not alter the development of the existing follicular wave. The FWsynch protocol was effective in synchronising the follicular wave for TB irrespective of the stage of follicular development at the beginning of the protocol. TB using FWsynch protocol resulted in a pregnancy rate of 60.2% in a research facility and 53.6% and 45.6% in normal and infertile camels respectively under field conditions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Secondary prevention at 360°: the important role of diagnostic imaging.

PubMed

Ciarrapico, Anna Micaela; Manenti, Guglielmo; Pistolese, Chiara; Fabiano, Sebastiano; Fiori, Roberto; Romagnoli, Andrea; Sergiacomi, Gianluigi; Stefanini, Matteo; Simonetti, Giovanni

2015-06-01

The aim of this paper is to underline the importance of the role of general practitioners (GPs) in distributing vital information about prevention to citizens, to highlight the importance of the so-called voluntary prevention programmes, both for conditions for which no organised screening programmes exist and for those for which they do exist but may well be obsolete or inefficient. Nowadays, voluntary prevention is made more effective thanks to the new sophisticated diagnostic technologies applied worldwide by diagnostic imaging. Epidemiological data about the incidence and causes of death among the Italian population have shown that screening programmes should be aimed first at fighting the following diseases: prostatic carcinoma, lung cancer, colorectal carcinoma, breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, aortic and peripheral vascular disease. GPs do not generally give good or adequate instructions concerning voluntary prevention programmes; GPs may not even be aware of this type of prevention which could represent a valuable option together with the existing mass screening programmes. Therefore, in the following analysis, we aim to outline the correct diagnostic pathway for the prevention of diseases having the highest incidence in our country and which represent the most frequent causes of death. If used correctly, these screening programmes may contribute to the success of secondary prevention, limiting the use of tertiary prevention and thus producing savings for the Italian National Health System.

First-Time Migration in Juvenile Common Cuckoos Documented by Satellite Tracking

PubMed Central

Willemoes, Mikkel; Thomson, Robert L.; Tolvanen, Jere; Rutila, Jarkko; Samaš, Peter; Strandberg, Roine; Grim, Tomáš; Fossøy, Frode; Stokke, Bård Gunnar; Thorup, Kasper

2016-01-01

Being an obligate parasite, juvenile common cuckoos Cuculus canorus are thought to reach their African wintering grounds from Palearctic breeding grounds without guidance from experienced conspecifics but this has not been documented. We used satellite tracking to study naïve migrating common cuckoos. Juvenile cuckoos left breeding sites in Finland moving slowly and less consistently directed than adult cuckoos. Migration of the juveniles (N = 5) was initiated later than adults (N = 20), was directed toward the southwest–significantly different from the initial southeast direction of adults–and included strikingly long Baltic Sea crossings (N = 3). After initial migration of juvenile cuckoos toward Poland, the migration direction changed and proceeded due south, directly toward the winter grounds, as revealed by a single tag transmitting until arrival in Northwest Angola where northern adult cuckoos regularly winter. Compared to adults, the juvenile travelled straighter and faster, potentially correcting for wind drift along the route. That both migration route and timing differed from adults indicates that juvenile cuckoos are able to reach proper wintering grounds independently, guided only by their innate migration programme. PMID:28005960

[Eradication of swine dysentery as modified partial depopulation in a nucleus sow breeding farm].

PubMed

Figi; Goldinger; Fuschini; Hartnack; Sidler

2014-08-01

On a Swiss nucleus sow breeding farm with 170 sows and 600 gilts/fatteners, an eradication of swine dysentery as modified partial depopulation was conducted in stages over a period of 12 weeks in 2011 after Brachyspira (B.) hyodysenteriae was detected in the herd. In addition to administering oral medication (8.1 mg tiamulin per kg body weight) for 4 weeks to the pigs remaining on the farm, all stables were cleaned thoroughly and the residual slurry was disinfected with Alzogur(®) (3 l/m(3)) while the surfaces were disinfected with Venno Vet 1 Super(®) (1.5 %). At the same time rodent and fly control was intensified. Upon completion of the eradication programme, the farm was monitored for 6 months by carrying out fecal swab analyses of pigs with diarrhea. All fecal samples were negative for B. hyodysenteriae. The costs of the eradication amounted to approximately CHF 104'500. The eradication yielded significantly higher live daily weight gain (+ 23.8 g, ± 10.1 g, P < 0.0001). This improved performance resulted in an additional economic benefit of CHF 18,500 per year.

Efficacy of different treatment regimes against setariosis (Setaria tundra, Nematoda: Filarioidea) and associated peritonitis in reindeer

PubMed Central

Laaksonen, Sauli; Oksanen, Antti; Orro, Toomas; Norberg, Harri; Nieminen, Mauri; Sukura, Antti

2008-01-01

Background When a severe peritonitis outbreak in semi-domesticated reindeer was noticed in 2003 in Finland, the concerned industry urged immediate preventive actions in order to avoid detrimental effects of S. tundra and further economical losses. A research programme was swiftly initiated to study S. tundra and its impact on the health and wellbeing of reindeer. Methods The ultimate aim of this study was to test the efficacy of different treatment regimes against S. tundra and associated peritonitis in reindeer. The timing of the trials was planned to be compatible with the annual rhythm of the reindeer management; (1) the treatment of calves in midsummer, during routine calf ear marking, with ivermectin injection prophylaxis and deltamethrin pour-on solution as a repellent against insect vectors, (2) the treatment of infected calves in early autumn with ivermectin injection, and (3) ivermectin treatment of breeding reindeer in winter. The results were assessed using the post mortem inspection data and S. tundra detection. Finally, to evaluate on the population level the influence of the annual (late autumn-winter) ivermectin treatment of breeding reindeer on the transmission dynamics of S. tundra, a questionnaire survey was conducted. Results In autumn, ivermectin treatment was efficient against peritonitis and in midsummer had a slight negative impact on the degree of peritonitis and positive on the fat layer, but deltamethrin had none. Ivermectin was efficient against adult S. tundra and its smf. All the reindeer herding cooperatives answered the questionnaire and it appeared that antiparasitic treatment of reindeer population was intense during the study period, when 64–90% of the animals were treated. In the southern part of the Finnish reindeer husbandry area, oral administration of ivermectin was commonly used. Conclusion Autumn, and to a lesser degree summer, treatment of reindeer calves with injectable ivermectin resulted in decreased severity of peritonitis and perihepatitis in reindeer calves due to setariosis. In the case of necessity for animal welfare reasons, treatment during early autumn round ups should be considered. On the population level, massive and routinely applied antiparasitic treatments can improve the health of breeding reindeer and decrease the mortality and the number of carriers but during the outbreak could not prevent its movement and expansion to the North. PMID:19087262

Differential effects of oxytocin on social sensitivity in two distinct breeds of dogs (Canis familiaris).

PubMed

Kovács, Krisztina; Kis, Anna; Pogány, Ákos; Koller, Dóra; Topál, József

2016-12-01

Dogs have been proven to show several human-analogue social behaviors, and recent research raises the possibility that the oxytocin system is related to these. However, despite dogs' general tendency to excel in the domain of social cognition, there is increasing evidence that dogs' ability to utilize human signals may vary with breed. Moreover, breeds may show differences not only in their 'inborn' communicative abilities, but also in their learning skills related to these. The aim of the present study was to explore breed differences and breed-specific effects of oxytocin administration on different aspects of social responsiveness. Dogs from two markedly different breeds, Border Collies (cooperative workers) and Siberian Huskies (independent workers) were tested. After having received intranasal administration of oxytocin or placebo, subjects participated in three behavioral tests measuring social responsiveness. Our results show that there are several behavioral differences between the two breeds and also that there are differential effects of the oxytocin treatment. Border Collies were in general more susceptible to the 'social' effects of oxytocin compared to Siberian Huskies: after oxytocin administration they (1) looked more at the experimenter in the 'Unreachable food' situation, (2) looked more at the owner and shifted their gaze more between the sound source and the owner in a potentially dangerous situation, and (3) looked longer at the experimenter's eyes in the 'Tolerance of prolonged eye contact' test. These findings suggest that selection for enhanced cooperative abilities, possibly complemented by the effect of different social environments the two breeds experience, affects dogs' performance in several behavioral tests and that the neurohormonal background differently modulates social behavior in different working breeds. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application of selection mapping to identify genomic regions associated with dairy production in sheep.

PubMed

Gutiérrez-Gil, Beatriz; Arranz, Juan Jose; Pong-Wong, Ricardo; García-Gámez, Elsa; Kijas, James; Wiener, Pamela

2014-01-01

In Europe, especially in Mediterranean areas, the sheep has been traditionally exploited as a dual purpose species, with income from both meat and milk. Modernization of husbandry methods and the establishment of breeding schemes focused on milk production have led to the development of "dairy breeds." This study investigated selective sweeps specifically related to dairy production in sheep by searching for regions commonly identified in different European dairy breeds. With this aim, genotypes from 44,545 SNP markers covering the sheep autosomes were analysed in both European dairy and non-dairy sheep breeds using two approaches: (i) identification of genomic regions showing extreme genetic differentiation between each dairy breed and a closely related non-dairy breed, and (ii) identification of regions with reduced variation (heterozygosity) in the dairy breeds using two methods. Regions detected in at least two breeds (breed pairs) by the two approaches (genetic differentiation and at least one of the heterozygosity-based analyses) were labeled as core candidate convergence regions and further investigated for candidate genes. Following this approach six regions were detected. For some of them, strong candidate genes have been proposed (e.g. ABCG2, SPP1), whereas some other genes designated as candidates based on their association with sheep and cattle dairy traits (e.g. LALBA, DGAT1A) were not associated with a detectable sweep signal. Few of the identified regions were coincident with QTL previously reported in sheep, although many of them corresponded to orthologous regions in cattle where QTL for dairy traits have been identified. Due to the limited number of QTL studies reported in sheep compared with cattle, the results illustrate the potential value of selection mapping to identify genomic regions associated with dairy traits in sheep.

Impact of breeding region and season on the content of some trace elements and heavy metals in the hair of cows.

PubMed

Cygan-Szczegielniak, Dorota; Stanek, Magdalena; Giernatowska, Emilia; Janicki, Bogdan

2014-01-01

The aim of the research was to determine the effect of the season and the breeding region on the content of selected minerals (Zn, Cu, Mn, Fe, Pb, Cd) in the hair of dairy cows. The research material covered 114 Holstein-Friesian breed cows from three breeding centres in Poland, hereafterreferred to as A, B and C. Breeding centre A is located in Opolskie province, breeding centre B in Podlaskie province and breeding centre C in Kujawsko-Pomorskie province. The cows were kept in freestanding cowsheds with den boxes. Animal nutrition involved the use of the TMR system, considering division into nutrition groups. Hair was sampled in summer and in the period of winter and spring from the side of the body, directly behind the coastal arch. The Zn, Cu, Mn, Fe analysis was performed with atomic absorption spectrometry. The Pb and Cd content was assayed with the use of the electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. The results demonstrated the effect of season and breeding region on the level of the minerals and heavy metals assayed in the hair of cows being in the period of drying-off. The hair sampled in winter from cows from C demonstrated a higher concentration of most elements except for Fe than in material derived in summer. Hair sampled in winter from cows from the B centre showed higher Zn, Cu and Pb concentrations as compared with summer. Higher Cu, Mn, Fe and Pb concentrations were determined in hair sampled during winter from cows from A than in the material obtained in summer. The Cd content in the cow hair did not exceed the admissible norm, however, normal levels were exceeded for Pb in hair sampled in winter from cows from breeding centre C.

Efficient production of pronuclear embryos in breeding and nonbreeding season for generating transgenic sheep overexpressing TLR4.

PubMed

Li, Yan; Lian, Di; Deng, Shoulong; Zhang, Xiaosheng; Zhang, Jinlong; Li, Wenting; Bai, Hai; Wang, Zhixian; Wu, Hongping; Fu, Juncai; Han, Hongbing; Feng, Jianzhong; Liu, Guoshi; Lian, Ling; Lian, Zhengxing

2016-01-01

Brucella is a zoonotic Gram-negative pathogen that causes abortion and infertility in ruminants and humans. TLR4 is the receptor for LPS which can recognize Brucella and initiate antigen-presenting cell activities that affect both innate and adaptive immunity. Consequently, transgenic sheep over-expressing TLR4 are an suitable model to investigate the effects of TLR4 on preventing Brucellosis. In this study, we generated transgenic sheep overexpressing TLR4 and aimed to evaluate the effects of different seasons (breeding and non-breeding season) on superovulation and the imported exogenous gene on growth. In total of 43 donor ewes and 166 recipient ewes in breeding season, 37 donor ewes and 144 recipient ewes in non-breeding season were selected for super-ovulation and injected embryo transfer to generate transgenic sheep. Our results indicated the no. of embryos recovered of donors and the rate of pronuclear embryos did not show any significant difference between breeding and non-breeding seasons (P > 0.05). The positive rate of exogenous TLR4 tested were 21.21 % and 22.58 % in breeding and non-breeding season by Southern blot. The expression level of TLR4 in the transgenic sheep was 1.5 times higher than in the non-transgenic group (P < 0.05). The lambs overexpressing TLR4 had similar growth performance with non-transgenic lambs, and the blood physiological parameters of transgenic and non-transgenic were both in the normal range and did not show any difference. Here we establish an efficient platform for the production of transgenic sheep by the microinjection of pronuclear embryos during the whole year. The over-expression of TLR4 had no adverse effect on the growth of the sheep.

Application of Selection Mapping to Identify Genomic Regions Associated with Dairy Production in Sheep

PubMed Central

Gutiérrez-Gil, Beatriz; Arranz, Juan Jose; Pong-Wong, Ricardo; García-Gámez, Elsa; Kijas, James; Wiener, Pamela

2014-01-01

In Europe, especially in Mediterranean areas, the sheep has been traditionally exploited as a dual purpose species, with income from both meat and milk. Modernization of husbandry methods and the establishment of breeding schemes focused on milk production have led to the development of “dairy breeds.” This study investigated selective sweeps specifically related to dairy production in sheep by searching for regions commonly identified in different European dairy breeds. With this aim, genotypes from 44,545 SNP markers covering the sheep autosomes were analysed in both European dairy and non-dairy sheep breeds using two approaches: (i) identification of genomic regions showing extreme genetic differentiation between each dairy breed and a closely related non-dairy breed, and (ii) identification of regions with reduced variation (heterozygosity) in the dairy breeds using two methods. Regions detected in at least two breeds (breed pairs) by the two approaches (genetic differentiation and at least one of the heterozygosity-based analyses) were labeled as core candidate convergence regions and further investigated for candidate genes. Following this approach six regions were detected. For some of them, strong candidate genes have been proposed (e.g. ABCG2, SPP1), whereas some other genes designated as candidates based on their association with sheep and cattle dairy traits (e.g. LALBA, DGAT1A) were not associated with a detectable sweep signal. Few of the identified regions were coincident with QTL previously reported in sheep, although many of them corresponded to orthologous regions in cattle where QTL for dairy traits have been identified. Due to the limited number of QTL studies reported in sheep compared with cattle, the results illustrate the potential value of selection mapping to identify genomic regions associated with dairy traits in sheep. PMID:24788864

Australian Universities' Strategic Goals of Student Exchange and Participation Rates in Outbound Exchange Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daly, Amanda; Barker, Michelle

2010-01-01

International student exchange programmes are acknowledged as one aspect of a broader suite of internationalisation strategies aimed at enhancing students' intercultural understanding and competence. The decision to participate in an exchange programme is dependent on both individual and contextual factors such as student exchange policies and…

Implementing the Rock Challenge: Teacher Perspectives on a Performing Arts Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Mathew; Murphy, Simon; Salmon, Debra; Kimberlee, Richard; Orme, Judy

2004-01-01

The Rock Challenge is a school-based performing arts programme that aims to promote healthy lifestyles amongst secondary school students. This paper reports on teacher perspectives on the implementation of The Rock Challenge in nine English schools. This study highlights how performing arts programmes, such as The Rock Challenge, are unlikely to…

Involving Stakeholders in Programme Theory Specification: Discussion of a Systematic, Consensus-Based Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Urk, Felix; Grant, Sean; Bonell, Chris

2016-01-01

The use of explicit programme theory to guide evaluation is widely recommended. However, practitioners and other partnering stakeholders often initiate programmes based on implicit theories, leaving researchers to explicate them before commencing evaluation. The current study aimed to apply a systematic method to undertake this process. We…

Facilitating Small-Scale Implementation of Inquiry-Based Teaching: Encounters and Experiences of Experimento Multipliers in One South African Province

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dudu, Washington Takawira

2017-01-01

This paper explores the experiences of 37 physical science high school teachers who participated in a professional development (PD) programme coordinated by three Experimento multipliers. The Experimento programme is a Siemens Stiftung international educational programme aimed at providing didactic and methodological approaches to classroom…

Brief Report: An Evaluation of an Australian Autism-Specific, Early Intervention Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paynter, Jessica M.; Riley, Emma P.; Beamish, Wendi; Scott, James G.; Heussler, Helen S.

2015-01-01

There is a relative paucity of evidence examining the effectiveness of early intervention for young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, in particular those delivered through educationally-based programmes. This study aimed to evaluate the real world effectiveness of a community-based autism-specific early learning and intervention programme in…

Using Epidemiological Survey Data to Examine Factors Influencing Participation in Parent-Training Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morawska, Alina; Dyah Ramadewi, Mikha; Sanders, Matthew R.

2014-01-01

Evidence-based parent-training programmes aim to reduce child behaviour problems; however, the effects of these programmes are often limited by poor participation rates. This study proposes a model of parent, child and family factors related to parental participation in parenting interventions. A computer-assisted telephone interview was used to…

How Do Management and Non-Management Employees Perceive Workplace Wellness Programmes? A Qualitative Examination

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caperchione, Cristina M.; Reid, R. Colin; Sharp, Paul G.; Stehmeier, Joshua

2016-01-01

Objectives: The value of workplace wellness programmes (WWPs) has been established in the literature. Such programmes, however, have an increased likelihood for success when both management and non-management employees' perspectives and needs are incorporated into development and implementation. This study aimed to identify the perspectives of…

Quality Assessment of Special Education Programmes: Listen to the Parents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

International Journal of Special Education, 2016

2016-01-01

Special education programmes must include high quality services to enhance children with disabilities (CWD) in all aspects of their development. This study aims to assess special education programmes (SEP) in Jordan from the perspectives of parents of CWD. Two different SEPs were assessed: inclusive education (IE) in regular schools, and special…

Designing and Evaluating a Professional Development Programme for Basic Technology Integration in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ansyari, Muhammad Fauzan

2015-01-01

This study aims to develop and evaluate a professional development programme for technology integration in an Indonesian university's English language teaching setting. The study explored the characteristics of this programme to English lecturers' technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) development. This design-based research employed…

Exchange programmes and student mobility: meeting student's expectations or an expensive holiday?

PubMed

Keogh, Johannes; Russel-Roberts, Eileen

2009-01-01

The Bologna Process aims, amongst other things, to improve the mobility of Students within the EU. Student mobility is supported through programmes such as ERASMUS, and the success of these programmes is measured against quality and quantity of Student mobility within the European Union. This study aimed at establishing, from the students' perspective, the benefits of these programmes. To this purpose, 7 Students who were involved in a German-Finnish exchange programme were interviewed. This population was chosen, because they represented the largest group of students going to the same host university, and were influenced by the same variables, such as language difficulties and climatic conditions. The main objective of this study was to determine whether the educational and personal needs of the students were met during their exchange programme. The data analysis was done using Mayring's content analysis method. The results showed that successful mobility at student level, could lead to a diffusion of knowledge and skills between different countries. It was also found that the students indicated that their personal and educational needs were met irrespective of the language difficulties they experienced.

Mentoring portfolio use in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education.

PubMed

Dekker, Hanke; Driessen, Erik; Ter Braak, Edith; Scheele, Fedde; Slaets, Joris; Van Der Molen, Thys; Cohen-Schotanus, Janke

2009-10-01

Mentoring is widely acknowledged as being crucial for portfolio learning. The aim of this study is to examine how mentoring portfolio use has been implemented in undergraduate and postgraduate settings. The results of interviews with six key persons involved in setting up portfolio use in medical education programmes were used to develop a questionnaire, which was administered to 30 coordinators of undergraduate and postgraduate portfolio programmes in the Netherlands and Flanders. The interviews yielded four main aspects of the portfolio mentoring process--educational aims, individual meetings, small group sessions and mentor characteristics. Based on the questionnaire data, 16 undergraduate and 14 postgraduate programmes were described. Providing feedback and stimulating reflection were the main objectives of the mentoring process. Individual meetings were the favourite method for mentoring (26 programmes). Small group sessions to support the use of portfolios were held in 16 programmes, mostly in the undergraduate setting. In general, portfolio mentors were clinically qualified academic staff trained for their mentoring tasks. This study provides a variety of practical insights into implementing mentoring processes in portfolio programmes.

A Review of Microsatellite Markers and Their Applications in Rice Breeding Programs to Improve Blast Disease Resistance

PubMed Central

Miah, Gous; Rafii, Mohd Y.; Ismail, Mohd R.; Puteh, Adam B.; Rahim, Harun A.; Islam, Kh. Nurul; Latif, Mohammad Abdul

2013-01-01

Over the last few decades, the use of molecular markers has played an increasing role in rice breeding and genetics. Of the different types of molecular markers, microsatellites have been utilized most extensively, because they can be readily amplified by PCR and the large amount of allelic variation at each locus. Microsatellites are also known as simple sequence repeats (SSR), and they are typically composed of 1–6 nucleotide repeats. These markers are abundant, distributed throughout the genome and are highly polymorphic compared with other genetic markers, as well as being species-specific and co-dominant. For these reasons, they have become increasingly important genetic markers in rice breeding programs. The evolution of new biotypes of pests and diseases as well as the pressures of climate change pose serious challenges to rice breeders, who would like to increase rice production by introducing resistance to multiple biotic and abiotic stresses. Recent advances in rice genomics have now made it possible to identify and map a number of genes through linkage to existing DNA markers. Among the more noteworthy examples of genes that have been tightly linked to molecular markers in rice are those that confer resistance or tolerance to blast. Therefore, in combination with conventional breeding approaches, marker-assisted selection (MAS) can be used to monitor the presence or lack of these genes in breeding populations. For example, marker-assisted backcross breeding has been used to integrate important genes with significant biological effects into a number of commonly grown rice varieties. The use of cost-effective, finely mapped microsatellite markers and MAS strategies should provide opportunities for breeders to develop high-yield, blast resistance rice cultivars. The aim of this review is to summarize the current knowledge concerning the linkage of microsatellite markers to rice blast resistance genes, as well as to explore the use of MAS in rice breeding programs aimed at improving blast resistance in this species. We also discuss the various advantages, disadvantages and uses of microsatellite markers relative to other molecular marker types. PMID:24240810

A Diminished Self: Entrepreneurial and Therapeutic Ethos Operating with a Common Aim

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brunila, Kristiina

2012-01-01

This article focuses on the aim of creating a flexible and self-centred self by means of entrepreneurial and therapeutic education. It is an analysis that uses documents from project-based educational programmes as well as interviews with young adults and the people who work with them in these programmes. The data are examined using a Foucauldian…

Motivating Visually Impaired and Deaf-Blind People to Perform Regular Physical Exercises

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Surakka, Airi; Kivela, Tero

2008-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine the different ways in which visually impaired and deaf-blind people can be motivated to perform regular physical exercises through the use of a physical training programme. The programme was designed for visually impaired and deaf-blind people with the aim of reducing their most common physical problems: those…

Do Early Intervention Programmes Improve Cognitive and Motor Outcomes for Preterm Infants after Discharge? A Systematic Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orton, Jane; Spittle, Alicia; Doyle, Lex; Anderson, Peter; Boyd, Roslyn

2009-01-01

Aim: The aim of this study was to review the effects of early developmental intervention after discharge from hospital on motor and cognitive development in preterm infants. Method: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-RCTs of early developmental intervention programmes for preterm infants in which motor or cognitive outcomes were reported…

Searching for the mechanisms of change: a protocol for a realist review of batterer treatment programmes

PubMed Central

Cheff, Rebecca; Finn, Debbie; Davloor, Whitney; O'Campo, Patricia

2016-01-01

Introduction Conflicting results reported by evaluations of typical batterer intervention programmes leave many judicial officials and policymakers uncertain about the best way to respond to domestic violence, and whether to recommend and fund these programmes. Traditional evaluations and systematic reviews tend to focus predominantly on whether the programmes ‘worked’ (eg, reduced recidivism) often at the exclusion of understanding for whom they may or may not have worked, under what circumstances, and why. Methods and analysis We are undertaking a realist review of the batterer treatment programme literature with the aim of addressing this gap. Keeping with the goals of realist review, our primary aims are to identify the theory that underlies these programmes, highlight the mechanisms that trigger changes in participant behaviour and finally explain why these programmes help some individuals reduce their use of violence and under what conditions they are effective or not effective. We begin by describing the process of perpetrator treatment, and by proposing an initial theoretical model of behaviour change that will be tested by our review. We then describe the criteria for inclusion of an evaluation into the review, the search strategy we will use to identify the studies, and the plan for data extraction and analysis. Ethics and dissemination The results of this review will be written up using the RAMESES Guidelines for Realist Synthesis, and disseminated through peer-reviewed publications aimed at the practitioner community as well as presented at community forums, and at violence against women conferences. Ethics approval was not needed. PMID:27053268

Trypanotolerance, an option for sustainable livestock production in areas at risk from trypanosomosis.

PubMed

d'Ieteren, G D; Authié, E; Wissocq, N; Murray, M

1998-04-01

Trypanosomosis is one of the major constraints on animal production in areas of Africa which have the greatest potential for significant increases in domestic livestock populations and livestock productivity. While the eradication of trypanosomosis from the entire continent is an unrealistic goal, considerable effort has been invested in the control of this disease through the use of trypanocidal drugs, management of the vector and exploitation of the genetic resistance exhibited by indigenous breeds. There is little hope that a conventional, anti-infection vaccine will be produced in the near future. Drug resistance is developing faster than generally thought. The control of the tsetse fly has been attempted over many decades. The decreasing efficacy of available trypanocidal drugs and the difficulties of sustaining tsetse control increase the imperative need to enhance trypanotolerance through selective breeding, either within breeds or through cross-breeding. Trypanotolerance has been defined as the relative capacity of an animal to control the development of the parasites and to limit their pathological effects, the most prominent of which is anaemia. A major constraint on selection for trypanotolerance in cattle, for both within-breed and cross-breeding programmes, has been the absence of practical reliable markers of resistance or susceptibility. Distinct humoral immune response to trypanosome infection is the major feature of bovine trypanotolerance. The role that these responses play in the control of infection or disease is being addressed by ongoing research, but remains a matter of speculation at present. Results in recent years have shown that packed cell volume (PCV) in particular and parasitaemia, the two principal indicators of trypanotolerance, are strongly correlated to animal performance. However, although direct effects of trypanosome infections on PCV and growth are obvious, more sensitive diagnostic methods for reflecting parasite control are required so that individual animals can be categorised reliably for their parasite control capability. One key finding is the major contribution made by each of the indicators evaluated to the overall trypanotolerance variance. Preliminary genetic parameters for PCV provide evidence that trypanotolerance is not only a breed characteristic but is also a heritable trait within the N'Dama population; this brings new opportunities for improved productivity through selection for trypanotolerance. More reliable estimation of genetic parameters of the indicators may well show that these parameters must be handled simultaneously for optimal progress. This would require diagnostics for assessing parasite control capability that identify trypanosome species more accurately, especially in mixed infections. A major advantage of trypanotolerant livestock, particularly N'Dama cattle, is the resistance or adaptation of this breed to many of the important pathogenes which prevail in the sub-humid and humid tropics. Research on practical indicators of resistance to these conditions will be required to establish relevant integrated strategies based on disease-resistant livestock. Selective breeding will require the integration of the traits that farmers hold important for their production systems.

The prevalence of ABCB1:c.227_230delATAG mutation in affected dog breeds from European countries.

PubMed

Firdova, Zuzana; Turnova, Evelina; Bielikova, Marcela; Turna, Jan; Dudas, Andrej

2016-06-01

Deletion of 4-base pairs in the canine ABCB1 (MDR1) gene, responsible for encoding P-glycoprotein, leads to nonsense frame-shift mutation, which causes hypersensitivity to macrocyclic lactones drugs (e.g. ivermectin). To date, at least 12 purebred dog breeds have been found to be affected by this mutation. The aim of this study was to update information about the prevalence of ABCB1 mutation (c.227_230delATAG) in predisposed breeds in multiple European countries. This large scale survey also includes countries which were not involved in previous studies. The samples were collected in the period from 2012 to 2014. The overview is based on genotyping data of 4729 individuals. The observed mutant allele frequencies were 58.5% (Smooth Collie), 48.3% (Rough Collie), 35% (Australian Shepherd), 30.3% (Shetland Sheepdog), 28.1% (Silken Windhound), 26.1% (Miniature Australian Shepherd), 24.3% (Longhaired Whippet), 16.2% (White Swiss Shepherd) and 0% (Border Collie). The possible presence of an ABCB1 mutant allele in Akita-Inu breed has been investigated with negative results. This information could be helpful for breeders in optimization of their breeding strategy and for veterinarians when prescribing drug therapy for dogs of predisposed breeds. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relationship of cryptorchidism with sex ratios and litter sizes in 12 dog breeds.

PubMed

Gubbels, Ed J; Scholten, Janneke; Janss, Luc; Rothuizen, Jan

2009-07-01

The aim of this study was to identify the influence of genetic carriership for cryptorchidism on litter sizes and sex ratios in the offspring. Weaning data of 11,230 litters in 12 purebred dog breeds were evaluated. Parents were classified as cryptorchidism 'carriers' (C) when at least one of their offspring was found cryptorchid. Subsequently the effects of 'carrier' and 'non-carrier' (NC) parents on their litters were studied. In litters from C x C parents we found an increased number of males per litter in all breeds, a reduced number of females per litter in 8 breeds and an increased litter size in 11 breeds in comparison with litters from NC x NC parents. Over all breeds the effects on litter size, on number of males per litter and on sex ratio were highly significant. Mixed litters from C x NC and NC x C did not show these effects and were not significantly different from the NC x NC offspring. Our results suggest a general mechanism in the dog species which causes cryptorchidism as well as increased male/female ratios and increased litter sizes. A consequence of such a mechanism is that selection in favor of increasing reproduction output frustrates selective efforts to eliminate cryptorchidism.

Community-based interventions for the use and conservation of animal genetic resources: the case of indigenous scavenger chicken production in Benin.

PubMed

Rodríguez, Luis C; Herrero, Mario; Baltenweck, Isabel

2011-06-01

Scavenging chicken production in Africa is important for the livelihood of the poor. In most countries, these low inputs, low output systems employ local breeds making use of the feeding resources available in the household. However, their replacement with introduced exotic breeds with higher productivities represents a risk for their conservation. Here, we present a simulation model to evaluate the impact of community-based interventions aiming to improve the profitability of local chicken breeds and promote their use and conservation. The results indicate that under the current conditions, farmers producing exotic chicken are able to sell more animals in a one year period; however the market price of local chicken makes their production more profitable. Vaccination campaigns significantly reduce the mortality rate of both breeds, having a positive effect on producers' income but its impact on animal off-take is larger for exotic breeds, and the availability of feeding resources is the limiting factor as the flock size increases. The results of the intervention are positive in terms of increasing farmers' income but do not clearly contribute to the conservation of indigenous breeds since after the vaccination campaign, the gap between the profitability of indigenous and exotic breeds is reduced. The simulation model indicates that under the current conditions, the conservation of indigenous chicken breeds in Benin is maintained by the existence of distinct niche markets with consumers able to pay higher prices for indigenous chicken. Policies for the conservation of chicken genetic resources in Benin are discussed.

Differences in milk fat composition predicted by mid-infrared spectrometry among dairy cattle breeds in the Netherlands.

PubMed

Maurice-Van Eijndhoven, M H T; Bovenhuis, H; Soyeurt, H; Calus, M P L

2013-04-01

The aim of this study was to estimate breed differences in milk fatty acid (FA) profile among 5 dairy cattle breeds present in the Netherlands: Holstein-Friesian (HF), Meuse-Rhine-Yssel (MRY), Dutch Friesian (DF), Groningen White Headed (GWH), and Jersey (JER). For this purpose, total fat percentage and detailed FA contents in milk (14 individual FA and 14 groups of FA) predicted from mid-infrared spectra were used. Mid-infrared spectrometry profiles were collected during regular milk recording from a range of herds with different combinations of breeds, including both purebred and crossbred cows. The data set used for the analyses contained 41,404 records from a total of 24,445 cows. In total 7,626 cows were crossbreds belonging to the breeds HF, MRY, DF, GWH, and JER; 1,769 purebreds (≥87.5%) belonging to the breeds MRY, DF, GWH, and JER; and the other 15,050 cows were HF. Breed effects were estimated using a single-trait animal model. The content in milk of short-chain FA C4:0, C6:0, C8:0, C10:0, C12:0, C14:0, and C16:0 was higher for JER and the content in milk of C16:0 was lower for GWH compared with the other breeds; when adjusting for breed differences in fat percentage, however, not all breed differences were significant. Breed differences were also found for cis-9 C14:1, cis-9 C16:1, C18:0, and a number of C18 unsaturated FA. In general, differences in fat composition in milk between HF, MRY, and DF were not significant. Jerseys tended to produce more saturated FA, whereas GWH tended to produce relatively less saturated FA. After adjusting for differences in fat percentage, breed differences in detailed fat composition disappeared or became smaller for several short- and medium-chain FA, whereas for several long-chain unsaturated FA, more significant breed differences were found. This indicates that short- and medium-chain FA are for all breeds more related to total fat percentage than long-chain FA. In conclusion, between breed differences were found in detailed FA composition and content of individual FA. Especially, for FA produced through de novo synthesis (short-chain FA, C12:0, C14:0, and partly C16:0) differences were found for JER and GWH, compared with the breeds HF, MRY, and DF. Copyright © 2013 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Initial insights on the performances and management of dairy cattle herds combining two breeds with contrasting features.

PubMed

Magne, M A; Thénard, V; Mihout, S

2016-05-01

Finding ways of increasing animal production with low external inputs and without compromising reproductive performances is a key issue of livestock systems sustainability. One way is to take advantage of the diversity and interactions among components within livestock systems. Among studies that investigate the influence of differences in animals' individual abilities in a herd, few focus on combinations of cow breeds with contrasting features in dairy cattle herds. This study aimed to analyse the performances and management of such multi-breed dairy cattle herds. These herds were composed of two types of dairy breeds: 'specialist' (Holstein) and 'generalist' (e.g. Montbeliarde, Simmental, etc.). Based on recorded milk data in southern French region, we performed (i) to compare the performances of dairy herds according to breed-type composition: multi-breed, single specialist breed or single generalist breed and (ii) to test the difference of milk performances of specialist and generalist breed cows (n = 10 682) per multi-breed dairy herd within a sample of 22 farms. The sampled farmers were also interviewed to characterise herd management through multivariate analysis. Multi-breed dairy herds had a better trade-off among milk yield, milk fat and protein contents, herd reproduction and concentrate-conversion efficiency than single-breed herds. Conversely, they did not offer advantages in terms of milk prices and udder health. Compared to specialist dairy herds, they produce less milk with the same concentrate-conversion efficiency but have better reproductive performances. Compared to generalist dairy herds, they produce more milk with better concentrate-conversion efficiency but have worse reproductive performances. Within herds, specialist and generalist breed cows significantly differed in milk performances, showing their complementarity. The former produced more milk for a longer lactation length while the latter produced milk with higher protein and fat contents and had a slightly longer lactation rank. Our results also focus on the farmers' management of multi-breed dairy herds underlying herd performances. Three strategies of management were identified and structured along two main axes. The first differentiates farmers according to their animal-selection practices in relation with their objectives of production: adapting animal to produce milk with low-feeding inputs v. focussing on milk yield trait to intensify milk production. The second refers to the purpose farmers give to multi-breed dairy herds: milk v. milk/meat production. These initial insights on the performances and management of multi-breed dairy herds contribute to better understanding the functioning of ruminant livestock systems based on individual variability.

Novel optimum contribution selection methods accounting for conflicting objectives in breeding programs for livestock breeds with historical migration.

PubMed

Wang, Yu; Bennewitz, Jörn; Wellmann, Robin

2017-05-12

Optimum contribution selection (OCS) is effective for increasing genetic gain, controlling the rate of inbreeding and enables maintenance of genetic diversity. However, this diversity may be caused by high migrant contributions (MC) in the population due to introgression of genetic material from other breeds, which can threaten the conservation of small local populations. Therefore, breeding objectives should not only focus on increasing genetic gains but also on maintaining genetic originality and diversity of native alleles. This study aimed at investigating whether OCS was improved by including MC and modified kinships that account for breed origin of alleles. Three objective functions were considered for minimizing kinship, minimizing MC and maximizing genetic gain in the offspring generation, and we investigated their effects on German Angler and Vorderwald cattle. In most scenarios, the results were similar for Angler and Vorderwald cattle. A significant positive correlation between MC and estimated breeding values of the selection candidates was observed for both breeds, thus traditional OCS would increase MC. Optimization was performed under the condition that the rate of inbreeding did not exceed 1% and at least 30% of the maximum progress was achieved for all other criteria. Although traditional OCS provided the highest breeding values under restriction of classical kinship, the magnitude of MC in the progeny generation was not controlled. When MC were constrained or minimized, the kinship at native alleles increased compared to the reference scenario. Thus, in addition to constraining MC, constraining kinship at native alleles is required to ensure that native genetic diversity is maintained. When kinship at native alleles was constrained, the classical kinship was automatically lowered in most cases and more sires were selected. However, the average breeding value in the next generation was also lower than that obtained with traditional OCS. For local breeds with historical introgressions, current breeding programs should focus on increasing genetic gain and controlling inbreeding, as well as maintaining the genetic originality of the breeds and the diversity of native alleles via the inclusion of MC and kinship at native alleles in the OCS process.

Controlled ecological evaluation of an implemented exercise training programme to prevent lower limb injuries in sport: differences in implementation activity.

PubMed

Donaldson, Alex; Gabbe, Belinda J; Lloyd, David G; Cook, Jill; Finch, Caroline F

2018-04-24

The public health benefits of injury prevention programmes are maximised when programmes are widely adopted and adhered to. Therefore, these programmes require appropriate implementation support. This study evaluated implementation activity outcomes associated with the implementation of FootyFirst, an exercise training injury prevention programme for community Australian football, both with (FootyFirst+S) and without (FootyFirst+NS) implementation support. An evaluation plan based on the Reach Effectiveness Adoption Implementation Maintenance (RE-AIM) Sports Setting Matrix was applied in a controlled ecological evaluation of the implementation of FootyFirst. RE-AIM dimension-specific (range: 0-2) and total RE-AIM scores (range: 0-10) were derived by triangulating data from a number of sources (including surveys, interviews, direct observations and notes) describing FootyFirst implementation activities. The mean dimension-specific and total scores were compared for clubs in regions receiving FootyFirst+S and FootyFirst+NS, through analysis of variance. The mean total RE-AIM score forclubs in the FootyFirst+S regions was 2.4 times higher than for clubs in the FootyFirst+NS region (4.73 vs 1.94; 95% CI for the difference: 1.64 to 3.74). Similarly, all dimension-specific scores were significantly higher for clubs in the FootyFirst+S regions compared with clubs in the FootyFirst+NS region. In all regions, the dimension-specific scores were highest for reach and adoption, and lowest for implementation. Implementing exercise training injury prevention programmes in community sport is challenging. Delivering programme content supported by a context-specific and evidence-informed implementation plan leads to greater implementation activity, which is an important precursor to injury reductions. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Diversity in global gene expression and morphology across a watercress (Nasturtium officinale R. Br.) germplasm collection: first steps to breeding

PubMed Central

Payne, Adrienne C.; Clarkson, Graham J.J.; Rothwell, Steve; Taylor, Gail

2015-01-01

Watercress (Nasturtium officinale R. Br.) is a nutrient intense, leafy crop that is consumed raw or in soups across the globe, but for which, currently no genomic resources or breeding programme exists. Promising morphological, biochemical and functional genomic variation was identified for the first time in a newly established watercress germplasm collection, consisting of 48 watercress accessions sourced from contrasting global locations. Stem length, stem diameter and anti-oxidant (AO) potential varied across the accessions. This variation was used to identify three extreme contrasting accessions for further analysis. Variation in global gene expression was investigated using an Affymetrix Arabidopsis ATH1 microarray gene chip, using the commercial control (C), an accession selected for dwarf phenotype with a high AO potential (dwarfAO, called ‘Boldrewood’) and one with high AO potential alone. A set of transcripts significantly differentially expressed between these three accessions, were identified, including transcripts involved in the regulation of growth and development and those involved in secondary metabolism. In particular, when differential gene expression was compared between C and dwarfAO, the dwarfAO was characterised by increased expression of genes encoding glucosinolates, which are known precursors of phenethyl isothiocyanate, linked to the anti-carcinogenic effects well-documented in watercress. This study provides the first analysis of natural variation across the watercress genome and has identified important underpinning information for future breeding for enhanced anti-carcinogenic properties and morphology traits in this nutrient-intense crop. PMID:26504575

Narrow-Front Loop Migration in a Population of the Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus, as Revealed by Satellite Telemetry

PubMed Central

Willemoes, Mikkel; Strandberg, Roine; Klaassen, Raymond H. G.; Tøttrup, Anders P.; Vardanis, Yannis; Howey, Paul W.; Thorup, Kasper; Wikelski, Martin; Alerstam, Thomas

2014-01-01

Narrow migration corridors known in diurnal, social migrants such as raptors, storks and geese are thought to be caused by topographical leading line effects in combination with learning detailed routes across generations. Here, we document narrow-front migration in a nocturnal, solitary migrant, the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus, using satellite telemetry. We tracked the migration of adult cuckoos from the breeding grounds in southern Scandinavia (n = 8), to wintering sites in south-western Central Africa (n = 6) and back to the breeding grounds (n = 3). Migration patterns were very complex; in addition to the breeding and wintering sites, six different stopover sites were identified during the 16,000 km annual route that formed a large-scale clockwise loop. Despite this complexity, individuals showed surprisingly similar migration patterns, with very little variation between routes. We compared observed tracks with simulated routes based on vector orientation (with and without effects of barriers on orientation and survival). Observed distances between routes were often significantly smaller than expected if the routes were established on the basis of an innate vector orientation programme. Average distance between individuals in eastern Sahel after having migrated more than 5,000 km for example, was merely 164 km. This implies that more sophisticated inherent guiding mechanisms, possibly involving elements of intermediate goal area navigation or more elaborate external cues, are necessary to explain the complex narrow-front migration pattern observed for the cuckoos in this study. PMID:24421890

Beyond landraces: developing improved germplasm resources for underutilized species - a case for Bambara groundnut.

PubMed

Aliyu, Siise; Massawe, Festo; Mayes, Sean

2014-10-01

The potential for underutilized crops (also known as minor, neglected or orphan crops) to improve food and nutrition security has been gaining prominence within the research community in recent years. This is due to their significance for diversified agricultural systems which is a necessary component of future agriculture to address food and nutritional security concerns posed by changing climate and a growing world population. Developing workable value chain systems for underutilized crop species, coupled with comparative trait studies with major crops, potentially allows us to identify suitable agricultural modalities for such species. Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea L. Verdc.), an underutilized leguminous species, is of interest for its reported high levels of drought tolerance in particular, which contributes to environmental resilience in semi-arid environments. Here, we present a synopsis of suitable strategies for the genetic improvement of Bambara groundnut as a guide to other underutilized crop species. Underutilized crops have often been adapted over thousands of years in particular regions by farmers and largely still exist as landraces with little or no genetic knowledge of key phenotypic traits. Breeding in these species is fundamentally different to breeding in major crops, where significant pedigree structures and history allow highly directed improvement. In this regard, deploying new integrated germplasm development approaches for variety development and genetic analysis, such as multi-parent advance generation inter-crosses (MAGIC), within breeding programmes of underutilized species will be important to be able to fully utilize such crops.

Nature and impact of European anti-stigma depression programmes.

PubMed

Quinn, Neil; Knifton, Lee; Goldie, Isabella; van Bortel, Tine; Dowds, Julie; Lasalvia, Antonio; Scheerder, Gert; Boumans, Jenny; Svab, Vesna; Lanfredi, Mariangela; Wahlbeck, Kristian; Thornicroft, Graham

2014-09-01

Stigma associated with depression is a major public health issue in the EU, with over 20 million people experiencing depression and its associated personal distress each year. While most programmes against stigma related to mental health problems are of a general nature, the knowledge about programmes tackling stigma against people with depression is limited. This study therefore aims to assess the nature and impact of depression-specific programmes in EU countries. Using a web-based tool, 26 programmes were identified across the 18 EU countries taking part in the study. Most were universal and targeted the whole population, while many also targeted specific population groups or settings, such as young people or health professionals. The most common programme aim was improving literacy, although reducing stigmatizing attitudes and discriminatory behaviour and promoting help-seeking were also common. Most programmes originated from professional bodies, or as grassroots initiatives from service user groups/NGOs, rather than as part of national and local policy. The approaches used were primarily different forms of education/information, with some, but very limited, use of positive personal contact. Overall, the quality and extent of impact of the programmes was limited, with few leading to peer-reviewed publications. Specific programmes were identified with evidence of positive impact, and we drew on these examples to develop a framework to be used for future programmes against stigma and discrimination associated with depression. These findings are provided in full in the Anti-Stigma Partnership European Network Toolkit available at www.antistigma.eu. © The Author (2013). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

A Research-Informed, School-Based Professional Development Workshop Programme to Promote Dialogic Teaching with Interactive Technologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hennessy, Sara; Dragovic, Tatjana; Warwick, Paul

2018-01-01

The study reported in this article investigated the influence of a research-informed, school-based, professional development workshop programme on the quality of classroom dialogue using the interactive whiteboard (IWB). The programme aimed to develop a dialogic approach to teaching and learning mediated through more interactive uses of the IWB,…

Parenting Programmes: The Best Available Evidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bunting, Lisa

2004-01-01

Parenting programmes have been provided to a wide range of child and parent groups across a number of countries, but are they effective? This aim of this paper is to examine the findings from a number of systematic reviews that summarise the best available research evidence on the impact of these programmes on a range of parental and child…

Developing Everyone's Learning and Thinking Abilities: A Parenting Programme the Southern Area Experience--10 Years on!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Liz

2006-01-01

The Developing Everyone's Learning and Thinking Abilities (DELTA) parenting programme aims to promote both the holistic development of children and their parent's self-esteem in order to enhance the parent/carer and child relationship. DELTA operates on a multidisciplinary basis using a "Parents as Partners" model. The programme was…

Distributed Leadership and Research Degree Administration: Understanding the Role of a Good Programme Administrator for Professional Doctorate Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawkes, Denise; Johansson, Carol; McSweeney, Catherine

2017-01-01

Studies of the interaction between professional and academic staff in leadership in higher education institutions have focused on distributed leadership. Whilst such studies have considered the leadership of the whole university, aspects of this model also apply to the relationship between programme leaders and administrators. This paper aims to…

Early-Years Teachers' Professional Upgrading in Science: A Long-Term Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kallery, Maria

2018-01-01

In this paper, we present a professional development/upgrading programme in science for early-years teachers and investigate its impact on the teachers' competencies in relation to their knowledge and teaching of science. The basic idea of the programme was to motivate the teachers by making them members of an action research group aimed at…

Teacher Effectiveness Enhancement Programme: Evaluation Report and Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Education Endowment Foundation, 2016

2016-01-01

The Teacher Effectiveness Enhancement Programme (TEEP) is a CPD programme that aims to improve teachers' classroom practice. TEEP training is offered as a whole-school approach by the Schools, Students and Teachers Network (SSAT). All staff in a school received three days of training over a period of two terms. A smaller cohort of teachers, chosen…

Embedded Voices: Building a Non-Learning Culture within a Learning Enrichment Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hymer, Barry; Watkins, Chris; Dawson, Elizabeth; Buxton, Ruth

2015-01-01

The researchers examined transcripts of comments made and dialogues engaged in by children, teachers and student teaching assistants during a 10-week enrichment programme for gifted and talented children aged 7-9 years. Attempts were made to match these utterances with the programme's aims and aspirations as expressed in a promotional document.…

An Evaluation of the "FRIENDS for Life" Programme among Children Presenting with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burke, Mary-Kate; Prendeville, Paula; Veale, Angela

2017-01-01

"FRIENDS for Life" is a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) programme which aims to reduce anxiety and promote resilience among children. This study evaluated the "FRIENDS for Life" (FRIENDS) programme used as an intervention for seven children between the ages of 10 and 11 presenting with high functioning autism spectrum…

The Incredible Years Parent Training Programme in Tauranga: A Research Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamilton, Michelle; Litterick-Biggs, Angela

2008-01-01

The Incredible Years parent training programme is a research-based therapy which aims to help families improve the behaviour of children with conduct difficulties in the early years, while the behaviour is malleable (Webster-Stratton & Reid, 2003). The short-term goals of the programme are to reduce conduct problems in children by increasing…

The National Singing Programme for Primary Schools in England: An Initial Baseline Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Welch, G. F.; Himonides, E.; Papageorgi, I.; Saunders, J.; Rinta, T.; Stewart, C.; Preti, C.; Lani, J.; Vraka, M.; Hill, J.

2009-01-01

The "Sing Up" National Singing Programme for primary schools in England was launched in November 2007 under the UK government's "Music Manifesto". "Sing Up" is a four-year programme whose overall aim is to raise the status of singing and increase opportunities for children throughout the country to enjoy singing as…

Sexuality Education: Findings and Recommendations from an Analysis of 10 United States Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cushman, Nicole; Kantor, Leslie M.; Schroeder, Elizabeth; Eicher, Lesley; Gambone, Gina

2014-01-01

In this study, we identified 10 sexuality education programmes from different locations in the USA that aim to give young people knowledge and skills to develop healthy relationships, as well as avoid pregnancy and disease. We conducted in-depth interviews with programme administrators to develop a series of case studies and provide concrete…

Dublin Institute of Technology's Programme for Students Learning with Communities: A Critical Account of Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gamble, Elena; Bates, Catherine

2011-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to focus on the process of critically evaluating Dublin Institute of Technology's Programme for Students Learning With Communities after its first year of operation. The programme supports and promotes community-based learning/service-learning across DIT. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is presented in the form of a…

Evaluation of the Massage in Schools Programme in One Primary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marsh, Lesley J.

2011-01-01

This article discusses the potential benefits of the Massage in Schools Programme (MISP), a programme originating in Scandinavia, which has been introduced into schools in the United Kingdom (UK) since 2001. Meeting four out of five outcomes of the Every Child Matters agenda, the review of the literature aims to separate anecdotal and media…

Cost-Effectiveness Comparison of Breast Cancer Screening and Vascular Event Primary Prevention with Aspirin in Wales

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morgan, Gareth

2011-01-01

Aim: For the first time, this article presents a cost-effectiveness comparison of a breast cancer screening programme with a possible health education programme with aspirin for vascular event primary prevention. Background: Breast cancer screening is a well established part of cancer control programmes yet recent evidence on this intervention has…

Global Learning in England: Baseline Analysis of the Global Learning Programme Whole School Audit 2013-14. Research Paper No. 15 for the Global Learning Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunt, Frances; Cara, Olga

2015-01-01

The Global Learning Programme in England is an initiative aimed at supporting the teaching and learning of global learning in schools in England at Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3. It is a five-year national programme of support to schools to enhance their provision of global learning. Specifically, the GLP-E works with teachers to enhance their…

Microsatellite markers isolated from a polyploid saltbush, Atriplex nummularia Lindl. (Chenopodiaceae).

PubMed

Byrne, Margaret; Hankinson, Margaret; Sampson, Jane F; Stankowski, Sean

2008-11-01

Atriplex nummularia is a polyploid Australian saltbush which has been identified as a suitable species for use in the rehabilitation of agricultural land affected by salinity. We isolated 12 polymorphic loci for a preliminary assessment of genetic variability and structure within the species as a basis for a breeding programme. Preliminary screening of loci in 40 individuals from two populations revealed multibanded genotypes consisting of up to seven alleles in a single individual, with up to 29 alleles observed at a single locus. The multibanded patterns are consistent with the polyploid status of this species. © 2008 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2008 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

The delivery of injury prevention exercise programmes in professional youth soccer: Comparison to the FIFA 11.

PubMed

O'Brien, James; Young, Warren; Finch, Caroline F

2017-01-01

Injury prevention exercise programmes for amateur soccer have gained considerable attention, but little is known about their relevance and adaptability to professional soccer settings. The first aim of this study was to evaluate the delivery and content of injury prevention exercise programmes used by professional youth soccer teams, compared to the industry standard injury prevention exercise programme for soccer, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association's FIFA 11+. The second aim was to document specific challenges to implementing injury prevention exercise programmes in this context. Prospective observational study. The participants were soccer coaches, fitness coaches and physiotherapists (n=18) from four teams in a professional youth soccer academy. Each team's chosen injury prevention exercise programmes were observed weekly across an entire soccer season (160 sessions). The delivery and content of the programmes were documented on a standardised worksheet and compared to the FIFA 11+. Specific implementation challenges were recorded. Fitness coaches were the primary deliverers of injury prevention exercise programmes, with support from physiotherapists. Multiple delivery formats and locations were employed, along with the extensive use of equipment. Across all injury prevention exercise programme sessions, a median of one FIFA 11+ exercise was performed in its original form and a further four in a modified form. Implementation challenges included poor staff communication, competing training priorities and heavy game schedules. Although the basic components of the FIFA 11+ hold relevance for professional youth male teams, the delivery and content of injury prevention exercise programmes require considerable tailoring for this context. Recognising this will inform the development of improved, context-specific injury prevention exercise programmes, along with corresponding strategies to enhance their implementation. Copyright © 2016 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Equine viral arteritis in breeding and sport horses in central Spain.

PubMed

Cruz-Lopez, Fatima; Newton, Richard; Sanchez-Rodriguez, Ana; Ireland, Joanne; Mughini-Gras, Lapo; Moreno, Miguel A; Fores, Paloma

2017-12-01

Equine viral arteritis (EVA) may have a high economic impact on breeding stud farms due to the occurrence of EVA-associated abortion outbreaks and the ability of the virus to persist in carrier stallions. While the consequences of EVA in premises with sport horses are usually less severe, the first confirmed outbreak of EVA in Spain occurred in a riding club in Barcelona, but no data on the seroprevalence of EVA in sport horses have been reported in Spain. Given the importance of both Spanish Purebred (SP) breeding horses and sport horses for Spain's equine industry, the aim of this study was to determine and compare the seroprevalence of EVA in these two horse populations in central Spain. Serum samples from 155 SP breeding horses residing in 16 stud farms and 105 sport horses of different breeds housed in 12 riding clubs, collected between September 2011 and November 2013, were tested using a commercial EVA antibody ELISA test with a 100% sensitivity, and confirmed by seroneutralisation (SN) test. EVA seroprevalence in SP breeding horses was higher 21.1% (95% CI 15.3-26.8%) than that in sport horses (6.7%, 95% CI 1.89-11.45%). However, the primary use (breeding vs. sport) was not significantly associated with seropositivity to Equine Arteritis Virus (EAV), suggesting that different management factors do not affect EVA circulation in these two horse populations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Signatures of positive selection in African Butana and Kenana dairy zebu cattle.

PubMed

Bahbahani, Hussain; Salim, Bashir; Almathen, Faisal; Al Enezi, Fahad; Mwacharo, Joram M; Hanotte, Olivier

2018-01-01

Butana and Kenana are two types of zebu cattle found in Sudan. They are unique amongst African indigenous zebu cattle because of their high milk production. Aiming to understand their genome structure, we genotyped 25 individuals from each breed using the Illumina BovineHD Genotyping BeadChip. Genetic structure analysis shows that both breeds have an admixed genome composed of an even proportion of indicine (0.75 ± 0.03 in Butana, 0.76 ± 0.006 in Kenana) and taurine (0.23 ± 0.009 in Butana, 0.24 ± 0.006 in Kenana) ancestries. We also observe a proportion of 0.02 to 0.12 of European taurine ancestry in ten individuals of Butana that were sampled from cattle herds in Tamboul area suggesting local crossbreeding with exotic breeds. Signatures of selection analyses (iHS and Rsb) reveal 87 and 61 candidate positive selection regions in Butana and Kenana, respectively. These regions span genes and quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with biological pathways that are important for adaptation to marginal environments (e.g., immunity, reproduction and heat tolerance). Trypanotolerance QTL are intersecting candidate regions in Kenana cattle indicating selection pressure acting on them, which might be associated with an unexplored level of trypanotolerance in this cattle breed. Several dairy traits QTL are overlapping the identified candidate regions in these two zebu cattle breeds. Our findings underline the potential to improve dairy production in the semi-arid pastoral areas of Africa through breeding improvement strategy of indigenous local breeds.

Effects of Pax3 and Pax7 expression on muscle mass in the Pekin duck (Anas platyrhynchos domestica).

PubMed

Wang, Y; Zhang, R P; Zhao, Y M; Li, Q Q; Yan, X P; Liu, J Y; Gou, H; Li, L

2015-09-28

This study aimed to investigate whether the differential expression of muscle development-related genes is one of the reasons why muscle development differs between Pekin, Jianchang, and Heiwu ducks, which are all domesticated duck breeds (Anas platyrhynchos domestica) breeds. At 2 weeks of age, the RNA expression of paired box 7 (Pax7), paired box 3 (Pax3), myogenic differentiation antigen (MYOD), and myogenin (MYOG) genes were measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and Pax3 and Pax7 protein levels were detected by western blot assay. Myofiber morphology was investigated using paraffin-embedded muscle sections. At 8 weeks of age, 30 ducks of each breed were slaughtered for meat quality determination. The results revealed that Pax3 and Pax7 expression levels at both the RNA and protein levels were high in the Pekin duck. In addition, MYOG expression levels in the Jianchang duck were significantly higher than in the other two duck breeds (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in MYOD expression levels between the breeds (P > 0.05). Myofiber diameter and cross-sectional area were the largest in the Pekin duck and the smallest in the Heiwu duck. There were significant differences in slaughter data between these breeds, and muscle content was greatest in the Pekin duck. The results indicate that the muscle content of three different duck breeds is associated with the expression of satellite-cell marker genes.

'I'm actually being the grown-up now': leadership, maturity and professional identity development.

PubMed

Miskelly, Philippa; Duncan, Lindsay

2014-01-01

This study reports on an evaluation of an in-house nursing and midwifery leadership programme within a New Zealand District Health Board aimed at improving leadership capacity within clinical environments. The programme associated with this study is based on Practice Development concepts which aim to improve patient care and service delivery as well as empower practitioners to foster and support a transformational culture. Mixed methods were used. Evidence indicated participants' self-confidence improved leading to a 'growing up'. This was demonstrated in a number of ways: taking more responsibility for individual clinical practice, undertaking quality and safety roles as well as postgraduate study. These findings can be constructed in terms of linking leadership training with the development of professional identity. This study provides evidence that in-house leadership programmes can provide front-line nurses and midwives with opportunities to enhance their professional identity and expand their skills in a variety of ways. Organisational investment in in-house programmes aimed at leadership skills have the potential to enhance patient care as well as improve the work environment for nurses and midwives. However, in-house programmes should be considered as augmenting rather than replacing tertiary education institutions' leadership courses and qualifications. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Evaluation of a Staff Training Programme using Positive Psychology coaching with film and theatre elements in care homes: views and attitudes of residents, staff and relatives.

PubMed

Guzmán, Azucena; Wenborn, Jennifer; Ledgerd, Ritchard; Orrell, Martin

2017-03-01

There is a recognised need to improve staff training in care homes. The aim of this study was to conduct a qualitative evaluation of the Ladder to the Moon Culture Change Studio Engagement Programme (CCSEP), a staff training programme aimed at enhancing staff-resident communication. Focus groups were conducted with residents able to provide consent; staff and relatives and managers were interviewed in two care homes. A theoretical framework was developed to interpret the impact of CCSEP using Framework Analysis. Residents noted that the programme appeared to result in staff interacting more with them, as well as enjoying working together as a team. Staff reported an improved sense of teamwork, developing more positive attitudes towards residents, as well as their concerns about using theatrical techniques in the care setting. Relatives identified care home organisational aspects as being barriers to implementation, and some regarded CCSEP simply as 'entertainment' rather than 'creative care'. This study provides an insight into the potential of this staff training programme to improve staff-resident interactions. However, participants' varying views of CCSEP highlight the need to brief staff, residents and relatives before implementation so as to enable full understanding of the aim. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

An oral health education programme based on the National Curriculum.

PubMed

Chapman, A; Copestake, S J; Duncan, K

2006-01-01

The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a teaching programme based on the national curriculum for use in a primary school setting. National Curriculum guidelines were combined with oral health education messages to draw up lesson plans for teachers to deliver. A questionnaire was used to demonstrate children's oral health knowledge prior to the teaching programme, and at 1 and 7 weeks following the programme. The study took place in inner-city, state-run primary schools in Manchester and North London, UK. The subjects were children between the ages of 7 and 8 years from Manchester (n = 58) and North London (n = 30). The main outcome measure was change in knowledge attributable to a newly developed teaching programme. The children in Manchester had a higher level of knowledge prior to the teaching programme. Following the teaching programme, children in both schools showed a significant improvement in dental health knowledge (P < 0.001). Seven weeks later, the Manchester children showed no significant loss of knowledge (P < 0.001). The aims of the National Curriculum were easily integrated with oral health messages. A more widely available teaching resource, such as the one described in this study, would be useful to encourage the teaching profession to take on oral health education without more costly input from dental professionals.

Evaluation of the impact on human salmonellosis of control measures targeted to Salmonella Enteritidis and Typhimurium in poultry breeding using time-series analysis and intervention models in France.

PubMed

Poirier, E; Watier, L; Espie, E; Weill, F-X; De Valk, H; Desenclos, J-C

2008-09-01

In France, salmonellosis is the main cause of foodborne bacterial infection with serotypes Enteritis (SE) and Typhimurium (ST) accounting for 70% of all cases. French authorities implemented a national control programme targeting SE and ST in poultry and eggs from October 1998 onwards. A 33% decrease in salmonellosis has been observed since implementation. We designed an evaluation of the impact of this control programme on SE and ST human infections in France. Using monthly Salmonella human isolate reports to the National Reference Centre we defined two intervention series (SE and ST) and one control series comprising serotypes not know to be associated with poultry or eggs. The series, from 1992 to 2003, were analysed using autoregressive moving average models (ARMA). To test the hypothesis of a reduction of SE and ST human cases >0 after the programme started and to estimate its size, we introduced an intervention model to the ARMA modelling. In contrast to the control series, we found an annual reduction of 555 (95% CI 148-964) SE and of 492 (95% CI 0-1092) ST human infections, representing respectively a 21% and 18% decrease. For SE, the decrease occurred sharply after implementation while for ST, it followed a progressive decrease that started early in 1998. Our study, suggests a true relation between the Salmonella control programme and the subsequent decrease observed for the two targeted serotypes. For ST, however, the decrease prior to the intervention may also reflect control measures implemented earlier by the cattle and milk industry.

Genetic progress in multistage dairy cattle breeding schemes using genetic markers.

PubMed

Schrooten, C; Bovenhuis, H; van Arendonk, J A M; Bijma, P

2005-04-01

The aim of this paper was to explore general characteristics of multistage breeding schemes and to evaluate multistage dairy cattle breeding schemes that use information on quantitative trait loci (QTL). Evaluation was either for additional genetic response or for reduction in number of progeny-tested bulls while maintaining the same response. The reduction in response in multistage breeding schemes relative to comparable single-stage breeding schemes (i.e., with the same overall selection intensity and the same amount of information in the final stage of selection) depended on the overall selection intensity, the selection intensity in the various stages of the breeding scheme, and the ratio of the accuracies of selection in the various stages of the breeding scheme. When overall selection intensity was constant, reduction in response increased with increasing selection intensity in the first stage. The decrease in response was highest in schemes with lower overall selection intensity. Reduction in response was limited in schemes with low to average emphasis on first-stage selection, especially if the accuracy of selection in the first stage was relatively high compared with the accuracy in the final stage. Closed nucleus breeding schemes in dairy cattle that use information on QTL were evaluated by deterministic simulation. In the base scheme, the selection index consisted of pedigree information and own performance (dams), or pedigree information and performance of 100 daughters (sires). In alternative breeding schemes, information on a QTL was accounted for by simulating an additional index trait. The fraction of the variance explained by the QTL determined the correlation between the additional index trait and the breeding goal trait. Response in progeny test schemes relative to a base breeding scheme without QTL information ranged from +4.5% (QTL explaining 5% of the additive genetic variance) to +21.2% (QTL explaining 50% of the additive genetic variance). A QTL explaining 5% of the additive genetic variance allowed a 35% reduction in the number of progeny tested bulls, while maintaining genetic response at the level of the base scheme. Genetic progress was up to 31.3% higher for schemes with increased embryo production and selection of embryos based on QTL information. The challenge for breeding organizations is to find the optimum breeding program with regard to additional genetic progress and additional (or reduced) cost.

Analysis of BAC-end sequences (BESs) and development of BES-SSR markers for genetic mapping and hybrid purity assessment in pigeonpea (Cajanus spp.)

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] is an important legume crop of rainfed agriculture. Despite of concerted research efforts directed to pigeonpea improvement, stagnated productivity of pigeonpea during last several decades may be accounted to prevalence of various biotic and abiotic constraints and the situation is exacerbated by availability of inadequate genomic resources to undertake any molecular breeding programme for accelerated crop improvement. With the objective of enhancing genomic resources for pigeonpea, this study reports for the first time, large scale development of SSR markers from BAC-end sequences and their subsequent use for genetic mapping and hybridity testing in pigeonpea. Results A set of 88,860 BAC (bacterial artificial chromosome)-end sequences (BESs) were generated after constructing two BAC libraries by using HindIII (34,560 clones) and BamHI (34,560 clones) restriction enzymes. Clustering based on sequence identity of BESs yielded a set of >52K non-redundant sequences, comprising 35 Mbp or >4% of the pigeonpea genome. These sequences were analyzed to develop annotation lists and subdivide the BESs into genome fractions (e.g., genes, retroelements, transpons and non-annotated sequences). Parallel analysis of BESs for microsatellites or simple sequence repeats (SSRs) identified 18,149 SSRs, from which a set of 6,212 SSRs were selected for further analysis. A total of 3,072 novel SSR primer pairs were synthesized and tested for length polymorphism on a set of 22 parental genotypes of 13 mapping populations segregating for traits of interest. In total, we identified 842 polymorphic SSR markers that will have utility in pigeonpea improvement. Based on these markers, the first SSR-based genetic map comprising of 239 loci was developed for this previously uncharacterized genome. Utility of developed SSR markers was also demonstrated by identifying a set of 42 markers each for two hybrids (ICPH 2671 and ICPH 2438) for genetic purity assessment in commercial hybrid breeding programme. Conclusion In summary, while BAC libraries and BESs should be useful for genomics studies, BES-SSR markers, and the genetic map should be very useful for linking the genetic map with a future physical map as well as for molecular breeding in pigeonpea. PMID:21447154

An evaluation of the HM prison service "thinking skills programme" using psychometric assessments.

PubMed

Gobbett, Matthew J; Sellen, Joselyn L

2014-04-01

The most widely implemented offending behaviour programme in the United Kingdom was Enhanced Thinking Skills (ETS), a cognitive-behavioural group intervention that aimed to develop participant's general cognitive skills. A new offending behaviour programme has been developed to replace ETS: the Thinking Skills Programme (TSP). This study reports an evaluation of the effectiveness of TSP using psychometric assessments. Phasing of the two programmes created an opportunity to compare the two programmes consecutively. Forty participants, 20 from each programme, completed a range of psychometric measures to examine cognition, attitudes, and thinking styles. Analysis of pre- and post-programme psychometric results indicated that participants of TSP demonstrated improvements on 14 of the 15 scales, 9 of which were statistically significant. Effect sizes between pre-post results were generally greater for TSP than ETS, demonstrating that TSP had a more positive impact on the thinking styles and attitudes of participants than the ETS programme.

Polymorphisms in an obesity-related gene (PCSK1) are associated with fat deposition and production traits in Italian heavy pigs.

PubMed

Fontanesi, L; Bertolini, F; Scotti, E; Trevisi, P; Buttazzoni, L; Dall'olio, S; Davoli, R; Bosi, P; Russo, V

2012-12-01

The proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 1 (PCSK1) gene encodes the prohormone convertase 1/3 enzyme that processes prohormones into functional hormones that, in turn, regulate central and peripheral energy metabolism. Mutations in the human PCSK1 gene cause severe monogenic obesity or confer risk of obesity. We herein investigated the porcine PCSK1 gene with the aim of identifying polymorphisms associated with fat deposition and production traits in Italian heavy pigs. By re-sequencing about 5.1 kb of this gene in 21 pigs of different breeds, we discovered 14 polymorphisms that were organized in nine haplotypes, clearly distributed in two clades of putative European and Asian origin. Then we re-mapped this gene on porcine chromosome 2 and analysed its expression in several tissues including gastric oxyntic mucosa of weanling pigs in which PCSK1 processes the pre-pro-ghrelin into ghrelin, which in turn is involved in the control of feed intake and energy metabolism. Association analyses between PCSK1 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and production, carcass and several other traits were conducted on five groups of pigs from three different experimental designs, for a total of 1221 animals. Results indicated that the analysed SNPs were associated (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05) with several traits including backfat thickness and visible intermuscular fat in Italian Duroc (ID) and growth performances in Italian Large White (ILW) and in ILW × Italian Landrace pigs. However, the effects estimated in the ILW were opposite to the effects reported in the ID pigs. Suggestive association (P < 0.10) was observed with muscle cathepsin B activity, opening, if confirmed, potential applications to reduce the excessive softness defect of the green hams that is of particular concern for the processing industry. The results obtained supported the need to further investigate the PCSK1 gene to fully exploit the value of its variability and apply this information in pig breeding programmes.

How yield relates to ash content, Δ13C and Δ18O in maize grown under different water regimes

PubMed Central

Cabrera-Bosquet, Llorenç; Sánchez, Ciro; Araus, José Luis

2009-01-01

Background and Aims Stable isotopes have proved a valuable phenotyping tool when breeding for yield potential and drought adaptation; however, the cost and technical skills involved in isotope analysis limit its large-scale application in breeding programmes. This is particularly so for Δ18O despite the potential relevance of this trait in C4 crops. The accumulation of minerals (measured as ash content) has been proposed as an inexpensive way to evaluate drought adaptation and yield in C3 cereals, but little is known of the usefulness of this measure in C4 cereals such as maize (Zea mays). The present study investigates how yield relates to ash content, Δ13C and Δ18O, and evaluates the use of ash content as an alternative or complementary criterion to stable isotopes in assessing yield potential and drought resistance in maize. Methods A set of tropical maize hybrids developed by CIMMYT were subjected to different water availabilities, in order to induce water stress during the reproductive stages under field conditions. Ash content and Δ13C were determined in leaves and kernels. In addition, Δ18O was measured in kernels. Key Results Water regime significantly affected yield, ash content and stable isotopes. The results revealed a close relationship between ash content in leaves and the traits informing about plant water status. Ash content in kernels appeared to reflect differences in sink–source balance. Genotypic variation in grain yield was mainly explained by the combination of ash content and Δ18O, whilst Δ13C did not explain a significant percentage of such variation. Conclusions Ash content in leaves and kernels proved a useful alternative or complementary criterion to Δ18O in kernels for assessing yield performance in maize grown under drought conditions. PMID:19773272

Spatio-temporal Analysis of African Swine Fever in Sardinia (2012-2014): Trends in Domestic Pigs and Wild Boar.

PubMed

Iglesias, I; Rodríguez, A; Feliziani, F; Rolesu, S; de la Torre, A

2017-04-01

African swine fever (ASF) is a notifiable viral disease affecting domestic pigs and wild boars that has been endemic in Sardinia since 1978. Several risk factors complicate the control of ASF in Sardinia: generally poor level of biosecurity, traditional breeding practices, illegal behaviour in movements and feeding of pigs, and sporadic occurrence of long-term carriers. A previous study describes the disease in Sardinia during 1978-2013. The aim of this study was to gain more in-depth knowledge of the spatio-temporal pattern of ASF in Sardinia during 2012 to May 2014, comparing patterns of occurrence in domestic pigs and wild boar and identifying areas of local transmission. African swine fever notifications were studied considering seasonality, spatial autocorrelation, spatial point pattern and spatio-temporal clusters. Results showed differences in temporal and spatial pattern of wild boar and domestic pig notifications. The peak in wild boar notifications (October 2013 to February 2014) occurred six months after than in domestic pig (May to early summer 2013). Notifications of cases in both host species tended to be clustered, with a maximum significant distance of spatial association of 15 and 25 km in domestic pigs and wild boars, respectively. Five clusters for local ASF transmission were identified for domestic pigs, with a mean radius and duration of 4 km (3-9 km) and 38 days (6-55 days), respectively. Any wild boar clusters were found. The apparently secondary role of wild boar in ASF spread in Sardinia could be explained by certain socio-economic factors (illegal free-range pig breeding or the mingling of herds. The lack of effectiveness of previous surveillance and control programmes reveals the necessity of employing a new approach). Results present here provide better knowledge of the dynamics of ASF in Sardinia, which could be used in a more comprehensive risk analysis necessary to introduce a new approach in the eradication strategy. © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Searching for the mechanisms of change: a protocol for a realist review of batterer treatment programmes.

PubMed

Velonis, Alisa J; Cheff, Rebecca; Finn, Debbie; Davloor, Whitney; O'Campo, Patricia

2016-04-06

Conflicting results reported by evaluations of typical batterer intervention programmes leave many judicial officials and policymakers uncertain about the best way to respond to domestic violence, and whether to recommend and fund these programmes. Traditional evaluations and systematic reviews tend to focus predominantly on whether the programmes 'worked' (eg, reduced recidivism) often at the exclusion of understanding for whom they may or may not have worked, under what circumstances, and why. We are undertaking a realist review of the batterer treatment programme literature with the aim of addressing this gap. Keeping with the goals of realist review, our primary aims are to identify the theory that underlies these programmes, highlight the mechanisms that trigger changes in participant behaviour and finally explain why these programmes help some individuals reduce their use of violence and under what conditions they are effective or not effective. We begin by describing the process of perpetrator treatment, and by proposing an initial theoretical model of behaviour change that will be tested by our review. We then describe the criteria for inclusion of an evaluation into the review, the search strategy we will use to identify the studies, and the plan for data extraction and analysis. The results of this review will be written up using the RAMESES Guidelines for Realist Synthesis, and disseminated through peer-reviewed publications aimed at the practitioner community as well as presented at community forums, and at violence against women conferences. Ethics approval was not needed. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Using L-M BP Algorithm Forecase the 305 Days Production of First-Breed Dairy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Xiaoli; Qi, Guoqiang; Shen, Weizheng; Jian, Sun

Aiming at the shortage of conventional BP algorithm, a BP neural net works improved by L-M algorithm is put forward. On the basis of the network, a Prediction model for 305 day's milk productions was set up. Traditional methods finish these data must spend at least 305 days, But this model can forecast first-breed dairy's 305 days milk production ahead of 215 days. The validity of the improved BP neural network predictive model was validated through the experiments.

Targeting Peripheral-Derived Regulatory T Cells as a Means of Enhancing Immune Responses Directed against Prostate Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-08-01

TRAMP transgenic mice) that lack or preferentially generate pTregs (TRAMP+ mice bred onto Lck-cre; Klf2fl/fl and Smurf1-/- backgrounds, respectively...We have successfully generated TRAMP+; Lck-cre; Klf2fl/fl and TRAMP+; Smurf1-/- breeding lines, which will provide us with the necessary animals to...Aim 1: Determine how blocking pTreg production impacts PCa Major Task 1: Score tumors in TRAMP cohorts that contain or lack pTregs. The breeding

Promoting Interdisciplinary Education: The Vienna Doctoral Programme on Water Resource Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blöschl, Günter; Bucher, Christian; Carr, Gemma; Farnleitner, Andreas; Rechberger, Helmut; Wagner, Wolfgang; Zessner, Matthias

2010-05-01

An interdisciplinary approach is often described as a valuable strategy to assist in overcoming the existing and emerging challenges to water resource management. The development of educational approaches to instil a culture of interdisciplinarity in the future generation of water resource professionals will help to meet this strategic need. The Vienna Doctoral Programme on Water Resource Systems demonstrates how the adoption of an interdisciplinary education framework has been applied to a graduate programme in the water sciences. The interdisciplinary approach aims to provide doctoral research students with an understanding of the wide spectrum of processes relevant to water resource systems. This will enable them to bring together a range of ideas, strategies and methods to their current research and future careers. The education programme also aims to teach the softer skills required for successful interdisciplinary work such as the ability to communicate clearly with non-specialist professionals and the capacity to listen to and accommodate suggestions from experts in different disciplines, which have often not traditionally been grouped together. The Vienna Doctoral Programme achieves these aims through teaching an appreciation for a wide variety of approaches including laboratory analysis, field studies and numerical methods across the fields of hydrology, remote sensing, hydrogeology, structural mechanics, microbiology, water quality and resource management. Teaching takes the form of a detailed study programme on topics such as socio-economic concepts, resource and river basin management, modelling and simulation methods, health related water quality targets, urban water management, spatial data from remote sensing and basics for stochastic mechanics. Courses are also held by internationally recognised top scientists, and a guest scientist seminar series allows doctoral researchers to profit from the expertise of senior researchers from around the world. Through a structured one-on-one mentoring programme close interaction is ensured between the students and the internationally reputed staff of the programme. This gives the opportunity for the encouragement of interdisciplinary thinking at the individual level. Interdisciplinarity also evolves passively through interactions between the doctoral students in their daily research work, during journal clubs, meetings, workshops and courses. A total of 22 doctoral students are enrolled in the programme at any time which allows for cross-fertilisation across the wide range of research projects. Finally, the programme is holistic, incorporating all aspects of the hydrological system at the catchment and multi-catchment scale. The ultimate aim is to provide an education programme which not only equips the students with an understanding of the need for interdisciplinarity, but also with the skills required to deliver interdisciplinary work in keeping with the holistic catchment management paradigm adopted by the hydrological science community.

"Mathematics in the Workplace": A Pilot Enrichment Programme for Mathematically Talented Primary Students in Hong Kong

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kwan, Anderson C. K.; Yuen, Mantak

2013-01-01

The authors report on the implementation of an enrichment programme titled "Mathematics in the Workplace" for mathematically talented students, aged 8 to 12 years, who were studying in Primary 3 to Primary 6 classes in Hong Kong. The aim of the pilot programme was to enable gifted learners to make connections between mathematics and its…

Teachers' Experience from a School-Based Collaborative Teacher Professional Development Programme: Reported Impact on Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Svendsen, Bodil

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to find out how science teachers who have participated in a one-year school-based collaborative teacher professional development programme, perceive the programme's impact on their professional development. Constant comparative analysis was used on data from three schools to generate the findings in this study. The…

An Open-Label Randomized Control Trial of Hopping and Jumping Training versus Sensorimotor Rehabilitation Programme on Postural Capacities in Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borji, Rihab; Sahli, Sonia; Baccouch, Rym; Laatar, Rabeb; Kachouri, Hiba; Rebai, Haithem

2018-01-01

Background: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of a hopping and jumping training programme (HJP) versus a sensorimotor rehabilitation programme (SRP) on postural performances in children with intellectual disability. Methods: Three groups of children with intellectual disability participated in the study: the HJP group, the SRP group…

The W(h)ine Club: Women Finding Joy in Academic Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Selepe, Mosa; Grobler, Christa; Dicks, Emsie; Oldewage-Theron, Wilna

2012-01-01

The W(h)ine Club is a multidisciplinary women's research team which has been working together for the past 10 years. The idea for this Viewpoint piece grew as we participated in a Women in Research programme. The aim of the programme was to improve academic publications among women. A group of us in the programme found ourselves repeatedly…

The Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) Programme: Parental Perceptions of Its Impact in School and at Home

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilding, Lucy; Claridge, Simon

2016-01-01

The Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) programme is an example of an individualised intervention to support pupils experiencing a range of social and emotional needs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore parents' constructions of several aspects of the programme: its aims and how these are achieved; its impact on children,…

The Social Space of Educational Strategies: Exploring Patterns of Enrolment, Efficiency and Completion among Swedish Students in Undergraduate Programmes with Professional Qualifications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carlhed, Carina

2017-01-01

The aim of the study was to analyse enrolment patterns, and study efficiency and completion among students in programmes with professional qualifications, using microdata from Statistics Sweden. The programmes were Architecture, Medicine, Nursing, Law, Social work, Psychology, andEngineering (year 2001-2002, n = 15,918). Using the concepts from…

Parents Plus Programme 1: Evaluation of Its Effectiveness for Pre-School Children with Developmental Disabilities and Behavioural Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quinn, Mark; Carr, Alan; Carroll, Louise; O'Sullivan, David

2007-01-01

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Parents Plus programme with families of pre-school children with developmental disabilities and significant behavioural problems in the Irish health service. The Parents Plus programme is a group-based parent training package involving video modelling, which was designed to be…

Can Deweyan Pragmatist Aesthetics Provide a Robust Framework for the Philosophy for Children Programme?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oral, Sevket Benhur

2013-01-01

In this paper, I argue that Dewey's pragmatist aesthetics, and in particular, his concept of "consummatory experience", should be engaged anew to rethink the merits of the Philosophy for Children (PFC) programme, which arose in the 1970s in the US as an innovative educational programme that aims to use philosophy to help school children (aged…

First Things First: Anger Management Group Work in a Mainstream High School Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiseman, Martin; O'Gorman, Shannon

2017-01-01

In an attempt to support the emotional development and behavioural choices of young students in grades 7-10, a six session therapeutic group programme was devised--culminating in a written manual to enable future replication of the programme. This pilot programme was introduced as a once-weekly, morning session aimed at prioritising a student's…

Teacher Experiences of Delivering an Obesity Prevention Programme (The WAVES Study Intervention) in a Primary School Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffin, Tania L; Clarke, Joanne L; Lancashire, Emma R; Pallan, Miranda J; Passmore, Sandra; Adab, Peymane

2015-01-01

Objective: There has been a wealth of childhood obesity prevention studies in school-based settings. However, few have investigated the experiences of school staff charged with delivery of such programmes. This study aimed to elicit teachers' experiences of delivering a childhood obesity prevention programme for children aged 6-7 years. Design:…

Contribution of a Professional Development Programme to the Quality and Retention of Teachers in an Urban Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaikhorst, Lisa; Beishuizen, Jos J.; Zijlstra, Bonne J. H.; Volman, Monique L. L.

2015-01-01

This study examined the effects of a professional development programme aimed at equipping teachers for the challenges of teaching in urban schools. The contribution of the programme to teacher quality and teacher retention was evaluated using a mixed research design in which both quantitative (N?=?133) and qualitative (N?=?42) approaches were…

Exploring the Links Between Visual Arts and Environmental Education: Experiences of Teachers Participating in an In-Service Training Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Savva, Andri; Trimis, Eli; Zachariou, Aravella

2004-01-01

An in-service teachers' training programme was designed aiming to encourage art teachers to learn through theoretical and artistic experiential activities in a specific environmental setting (Lemithou environmental education centre, Cyprus). The programme was based on the use of the environment as an educational resource, and sought to develop…

Amsterdam's STI/HIV Programme: An Innovative Strategy to Achieve and Enhance the Participation of Migrant Community-Based Organisations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wagemakers, Annemarie; van Husen, Gwen; Barrett, Jennifer B.; Koelen, Maria A.

2015-01-01

Objective: The STI/HIV prevention programme in Amsterdam aims to improve the sexual health of Amsterdam residents of African, Antillean, Aruban and Surinamese origins. The programme strategy is to achieve and enhance the participation of migrant community-based organisations (CBOs) in sexual health promotion through a grant scheme and by providing…

The Integrated Women's Empowering Programme (IWEP) as an Example for Establishing Basic Structures of a Nationwide Adult Education System in a Poor Country

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandhaas, Bernd

2008-01-01

Within Ethiopia's overall development strategy, the Integrated Women's Empowerment Programme (IWEP) aims to develop, test and implement a comprehensive nationwide approach to empower women and their households in selected areas of all regions/national states of Ethiopia. The programme provides functional literacy education and livelihood skills…

The effectiveness of a multidisciplinary pain management programme managing chronic pain.

PubMed

Dysvik, Elin; Vinsnes, Anne Guttormsen; Eikeland, Ole-Johan

2004-10-01

The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the effects of a multidisciplinary pain management programme on coping, health-related quality of life and pain intensity. Seventy-six outpatients suffering from chronic pain completed this eight-week programme with the primary aims to increase coping, as measured by the Ways of Coping Checklist, and health-related quality of life, as measured by the Short Form-36 Health Survey. Therapeutic dialogues and education, combined with physical activity, were given in order to increase understanding of and attention to non-medical factors that might affect pain perception. The programme was active, time-limited and structured on the basis of multidisciplinary pain management programmes based on a cognitive-behavioural approach. The findings suggest that this programme has the potential to improve coping skills and health-related quality of life. Additionally, pain intensity, as measured by the Visual Analogue Scale, was reduced. Age and disability were revealed as the prominent predictors of change after treatment. The differences in this sample indicated that the drop-outs tended to be older and reported more health problems, although these findings were non-significant. Clinical and research implications are discussed.

Genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships in local cattle breeds of Senegal based on autosomal microsatellite markers

PubMed Central

Ndiaye, Ndèye Penda; Sow, Adama; Dayo, Guiguigbaza-Kossigan; Ndiaye, Saliou; Sawadogo, Germain Jerôme; Sembène, Mbacké

2015-01-01

Aim: In Senegal, uncontrolled cross-breeding of cattle breeds and changes in production systems are assumed to lead to an increase of gene flow between populations. This might constitute a relevant threat to livestock improvement. Therewith, this study was carried out to assess the current genetic diversity and the phylogenetic relationships of the four native Senegalese cattle breeds (Gobra zebu, Maure zebu, Djakoré, and N’Dama). Methods: Genomic DNA was isolated from blood samples of 120 unrelated animals collected from three agro-ecological areas of Senegal according to their phenotypic traits. Genotyping was done using 11 specific highly polymorphic microsatellite makers recommended by Food and Agriculture Organization. The basic measures of genetic variation and phylogenetic trees were computed using bioinformatics’ software. Results: A total of 115 alleles were identified with a number of alleles (Na) at one locus ranging from 6 to 16. All loci were polymorphic with a mean polymorphic information content of 0.76. The mean allelic richness (Rs) lay within the narrow range of 5.14 in N’Dama taurine to 6.10 in Gobra zebu. While, the expected heterozygosity (HE) per breed was high in general with an overall mean of 0.76±0.04. Generally, the heterozygote deficiency (FIS) of 0.073±0.026 was relatively due to inbreeding among these cattle breeds or the occurrence of population substructure. The high values of allelic and gene diversity showed that Senegalese native cattle breeds represented an important reservoir of genetic variation. The genetic distances and clustering trees concluded that the N’Dama cattle were most distinct among the investigated cattle populations. So, the principal component analyses showed qualitatively that there was an intensive genetic admixture between the Gobra zebu and Maure zebu breeds. Conclusions: The broad genetic diversity in Senegalese cattle breeds will allow for greater opportunities for improvement of productivity and adaptation relative to global changes. For the development of sustainable breeding and crossbreeding programs of Senegalese local breeds, effective management is needed towards genetic selection and transhumance to ensure their long-term survival. PMID:27047188

Genomic selection for crossbred performance accounting for breed-specific effects.

PubMed

Lopes, Marcos S; Bovenhuis, Henk; Hidalgo, André M; van Arendonk, Johan A M; Knol, Egbert F; Bastiaansen, John W M

2017-06-26

Breed-specific effects are observed when the same allele of a given genetic marker has a different effect depending on its breed origin, which results in different allele substitution effects across breeds. In such a case, single-breed breeding values may not be the most accurate predictors of crossbred performance. Our aim was to estimate the contribution of alleles from each parental breed to the genetic variance of traits that are measured in crossbred offspring, and to compare the prediction accuracies of estimated direct genomic values (DGV) from a traditional genomic selection model (GS) that are trained on purebred or crossbred data, with accuracies of DGV from a model that accounts for breed-specific effects (BS), trained on purebred or crossbred data. The final dataset was composed of 924 Large White, 924 Landrace and 924 two-way cross (F1) genotyped and phenotyped animals. The traits evaluated were litter size (LS) and gestation length (GL) in pigs. The genetic correlation between purebred and crossbred performance was higher than 0.88 for both LS and GL. For both traits, the additive genetic variance was larger for alleles inherited from the Large White breed compared to alleles inherited from the Landrace breed (0.74 and 0.56 for LS, and 0.42 and 0.40 for GL, respectively). The highest prediction accuracies of crossbred performance were obtained when training was done on crossbred data. For LS, prediction accuracies were the same for GS and BS DGV (0.23), while for GL, prediction accuracy for BS DGV was similar to the accuracy of GS DGV (0.53 and 0.52, respectively). In this study, training on crossbred data resulted in higher prediction accuracy than training on purebred data and evidence of breed-specific effects for LS and GL was demonstrated. However, when training was done on crossbred data, both GS and BS models resulted in similar prediction accuracies. In future studies, traits with a lower genetic correlation between purebred and crossbred performance should be included to further assess the value of the BS model in genomic predictions.

Practical animal breeding as the key to an integrated view of genetics, eugenics and evolutionary theory: Arend L. Hagedoorn (1885-1953).

PubMed

Theunissen, Bert

2014-06-01

In the history of genetics Arend Hagedoorn (1885-1953) is mainly known for the 'Hagedoorn effect', which states that part of the changes in variability that populations undergo over time are due to chance effects. Leaving this contribution aside, Hagedoorn's work has received scarcely any attention from historians. This is mainly due to the fact that Hagedoorn was an expert in animal breeding, a field that historians have only recently begun to explore. His work provides an example of how a prominent geneticist envisaged animal breeding to be reformed by the new science of heredity. Hagedoorn, a pupil of Hugo de Vries, tried to integrate his insights as a Mendelian geneticist and an animal breeding expert in a unified view of heredity, eugenics and evolution. In this paper I aim to elucidate how these fields were connected in Hagedoorn's work. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Morphological and genetic characterization of an emerging Azorean horse breed: the Terceira Pony

PubMed Central

Lopes, Maria S.; Mendonça, Duarte; Rojer, Horst; Cabral, Verónica; Bettencourt, Sílvia X.; da Câmara Machado, Artur

2015-01-01

The Terceira Pony is a horse indigenous to Terceira Island in the Azores. These horses were very important during the colonization of the island. Due to their very balanced proportions and correct gaits, and with an average withers height of 1.28 m, the Terceira Pony is often confused with a miniature pure-bred Lusitano. This population was officially recognized as the fourth Portuguese equine breed by the national authorities in January, 2014. The aim of this study was to analyze the morphology and the genetic diversity by means of microsatellite markers of this emerging horse breed. The biometric data consisted of 28 body measurements and nine angles from 30 animals (11 sires, 19 dams). The Terceira Pony is now a recognized horse breed and is gaining in popularity amongst breeders and the younger riding classes. The information obtained from this study will be very useful for conservation and management purposes, including maximizing the breed’s genetic diversity, and solidifying the desirable phenotypic traits. PMID:25774165

A Miocene breeding ground of an extinct baleen whale (Cetacea: Mysticeti).

PubMed

Tsai, Cheng-Hsiu

2017-01-01

Locating breeding sites is definitely a key to understanding the ecological requirements and maintaining the sustainability of populations/species. Here I re-examined published specimens of an extinct baleen whale, Parietobalaena yamaokai , from the lower part of Itahashi Formation (16.1-15.6 Ma, Middle Miocene) in Shobara, Hiroshima, Japan. A critical and previously unnoticed feature, the open suture between the supraoccipital and exoccipital, in one specimen indicates the preservation of a very young individual-under six months old and even close to a new-born calf. Given the occurrence of a new-born whale and relatively abundant assemblage of Parietobalaena yamaokai , I propose a previously hidden and unknown breeding ground for the extinct baleen whale, P. yamaokai , in the Middle Miocene of Shobara (16.1-15.6 Ma), Hiroshima. Discovery of paleo-breeding sites of extinct populations/species should further help us to understand biological extinctions from a long-term perspective as conservation paleobiology aims to offer new insights into policy making for conserving endangered populations/species.

Polymorphism of the bovine POU1F1 gene: allele frequencies and effects on milk production in three Iranian native breeds and Holstein cattle of Iran.

PubMed

Zakizadeh, S; Reissmann, M; Rahimi, G; Javaremi, A Nejati; Reinecke, P; Mirae-Ashtiani, S R; Shahrbabak, M Moradi

2007-08-01

The aim of this study was to estimate the allele frequencies in polymorphic site of exon six of POU1F1 gene in three Iranian native and Holstein cattle. Genomic DNA was extracted from 3 Iranian native cattle breeds, including 97 Mazandarani, 87 Sarabi, 112 Golpaygani and also 110 Holstein cattle. A 451 bp fragment of intron 5 and exon 6 were amplified and digested with HinfI restriction enzyme. Frequencies of allele A were 0.37, 0.27, 0.34 and 0.21 for Mazandarani, Sarabi, Golpaygani and Holstein cattle, respectively. Significant differences in genotype frequencies were found between Mazandarani or Golpaygani and Holstein cattle. No significant differences in genotype frequencies were found between Sarabi and Holstein cattle. Transition A to G in nucleotide 1256 is responsible for HinfI(-) allele. No significant association was observed between POU1F1 polymorphism and milk production. Differences in allelic frequency between native Bos indicus breeds (Mazandarani, Golpaygani) and Holstein at the present study might be due to differences in origin breeds, low number of samples and/or as the effect of natural selection in native breeds.

Detection of pinworm eggs in the dust of laboratory animals breeding facility, in the cages and on the hands of the technicians.

PubMed

Lytvynets, A; Langrova, I; Lachout, J; Vadlejch, J

2013-01-01

Pinworms (Nematoda: Oxyurida) are common contaminants in most laboratory rodent colonies. The aim of the study was to monitor the transmission of Syphacia muris eggs in laboratory rat breeding facilities. Dust in a breeding room was investigated using special grids (free fallout, or through the help suction chamber). Furthermore, the ventilation system, breeding cages and the hands of the laboratory technical staff were examined. In the case of free fallout, the percentage of positive grids increased slightly over time: from 5.5% (after 24 h) to 8.2% (72 h). Similar values were also found when using the suction chamber (7.6%). Many more pinworm eggs were found in samples collected every second month from suction holes of the ventilation system (28.7%). One-half of the samples taken from the breeding cages (before washing) exhibited pinworm eggs (50.8%). Examination of the hands of technical staff showed positive detection in 37.9% of cases. In this study, certain transmission factors (dust, unclean cages and technicians) were proved to be significant in the distribution of pinworm infection in laboratory rodent facilities.

Cerulean Warbler Technical Group: Coordinating international research and conservation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dawson, D.K.; Wigley, T.B.; Keyser, P.D.

2012-01-01

Effective conservation for species of concern requires interchange and collaboration among conservationists and stakeholders. The Cerulean Warbler Technical Group (CWTG) is a consortium of biologists and managers from government agencies, non-governmental organizations, academia, and industry, who are dedicated to finding pro-active, science-based solutions for conservation of the Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea). Formed in the United States in 2001, CWTG’s scope soon broadened to address the species’ ecology and conservation on both the breeding and non-breeding ranges, in partnership with biologists from South and Central America. In 2004, CWTG launched the Cerulean Warbler Conservation Initiative, a set of activities aimed at addressing information and conservation needs for the species. These include (1) studies in the core breeding range to assess Cerulean Warbler response to forest management practices and to identify mined lands that could be reforested to benefit the species, (2) ecological and demographic studies on the winter range, and (3) surveys of Cerulean Warbler distribution on the breeding and winter ranges and during migration. A rangewide conservation action plan has been completed, along with a more detailed conservation plan for the non-breeding range. CWTG and partners now move forward with on-the-ground conservation, while still addressing unmet information needs.

The effects on boar sperm quality of dietary supplementation with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids differ among porcine breeds.

PubMed

Yeste, Marc; Barrera, Xavier; Coll, David; Bonet, Sergi

2011-07-01

The present study was undertaken to shed light on the relationship between boar sperm quality and dietary supplementation with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which has been reported inconsistently in the literature. With this aim, such effects were evaluated and compared among three different porcine breeds: Duroc, Large-White, and Pietrain. Animals were randomly separated into two groups and fed either with a control diet or with a diet supplemented with omega-3. Sperm quality of these boar (ejaculate volume, sperm concentration, sperm viability, acrosome and mitochondrial sheath integrity, sperm motility, sperm morphology, and osmotic resistance of spermatozoa) was assessed every week for a 26-week period. Supplementing boar's diet with omega-3 did not affect ejaculate volume, sperm concentration, sperm motility, sperm viability, and acrosome and mitochondrial sheath integrity. In contrast, supplemented diet positively affected both sperm morphology in Large-White and Pietrain breeds and the osmotic resistance of Pietrain spermatozoa. No effects were seen for the same sperm parameters in Duroc breed. These breed-differences in boar fed with the supplemented diet could explain the contradictions in literature and might be related with differences in the composition of plasma membrane among breeds reported by other authors. Because no harmful effects were observed in the three evaluated breeds, but positive effects in Large-White and Pietrain boar, we can conclude that omega-3 fatty acids may be added to boar's diet at the levels used in this study to improve their sperm quality. More research is, however, needed to determine how these fatty acids differently affect the morphology and the osmotic resistance of the spermatozoa in these breeds. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Association analysis of polymorphism in KiSS1 gene with reproductive traits in goats.

PubMed

El-Tarabany, Mahmoud S; Zaglool, Asmaa W; El-Tarabany, Akram A; Awad, Ashraf

2017-05-01

Understanding the genetic information of related genes is helpful for the selection and breeding course through marker assisted selection. The aim of the current study was to detect polymorphisms of the KiSS1 gene in 137 animals, including Baladi, Zaraibi and Damascus goat breeds by PCR-RFLP, and DNA sequencing and to investigate the association between these variants and reproductive traits. Comparison of the nucleotide sequence indicated the substitution of T with A at position 121 (T121A) in the intron 1 of the KiSS1 gene in all goat breeds. This substitution distorts the restriction site of the XmnI restriction enzyme and consequently two genotypes were detected (TA and TT). The T121A SNP is associated significantly with litter size in Damascus and Zaribi breeds (p=0.025 and 0.001, respectively). The animals with the TT genotype in Damascus and Zaribi breeds had a significantly higher estradiol 17β level than that recorded in TA genotype at estrus phase (p=0.013 and 0.028, respectively) and late-luteal phase (p=0.067 and 0.041, respectively) of the estrus cycle. Furthermore, animals with the TT genotype in Damascus and Zaribi breeds had significant higher progesterone level at mid-luteal (p=0.037 and 0.045, respectively) phase. Meanwhile, there were no significant differences in progesterone level in late-luteal phase between both genotypes in Zaribi breed (p=0.267). The current trial indicated that the prolific TT genotype in both Damascus and Zaribi breeds had superior estradiol 17β level at estrus phase and an eminent progesterone level at both early and mid-luteal phases of the estrous cycle. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Variation of milk coagulation properties, cheese yield, and nutrients recovery in curd of cows of different breeds before, during and after transhumance to highland summer pastures.

PubMed

Zendri, Francesco; Ramanzin, Maurizio; Cipolat-Gotet, Claudio; Sturaro, Enrico

2017-02-01

This paper aimed at evaluating the effect of summer transhumance to mountain pastures of dairy cows of different breeds on cheese-making ability of milk. Data were from 649 dairy cows of specialized (Holstein Friesian and Brown Swiss) dual purpose (Simmental) and local (mostly Rendena and Alpine Grey) breeds. The Fourier-Transform Infra-Red Spectra (FTIRS) of their milk samples were collected before and after transhumance in 109 permanent dairy farms, and during transhumance in 14 summer farms (with multi-breeds herds) of the Trento Province, north-eastern Italy. A variety of 18 traits describing milk coagulation, curd firming, cheese yield and nutrients recovery in curd/loss in whey were predicted on the basis of FTIRS collected at the individual cow level. Moving the cows to summer farms improved curd firming traits but reduced cheese yields because of an increase of water and fat lost in the whey. During summer grazing, most of cheese-making traits improved, often non-linearly. The milk from summer farms supplementing cows with more concentrates showed better curd firming and cheese yield, because of lower fat lost in the whey. The breed of cows affected almost all the traits with a worst cheese-making ability for milk samples of Holsteins through all the trial, and interacted with concentrate supplementation because increasing compound feed tended to improve cheese-making traits for all breed, with the exception of local breeds for coagulation time and of Brown Swiss for curd firming time. In general, summer transhumance caused a favourable effect on cheese-making aptitude of milk, even though with some difference according to parity, initial days in milk, breed and concentrate supplementation of cows.

Effect of breeding method and season on pregnancy rate and embryonic and fetal losses in lactating Nili-Ravi buffaloes.

PubMed

Qayyum, Arslan; Arshad, Usman; Yousuf, Muhammad Rizwan; Ahmad, Nasim

2018-03-01

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of breeding method and season on pregnancy rate and cumulative embryonic and fetal losses in Nili-Ravi buffalo. Estrus detection was performed twice a day by teaser buffalo bull for 1 hour each. A 2 × 2 factorial design was used to address the breeding method and season. Buffaloes (n = 130) exhibiting estrus were randomly assigned to be bred either in peak breeding season (PBS; n = 80) or low breeding season (LBS; n = 50). Within each season, buffaloes were divided to receive either natural service (NS; n = 65) or artificial insemination (AI; n = 65). NS buffaloes, in estrus, were allowed to remain with the bull until mating. AI was achieved, using frozen thawed semen of bull of known fertility. PBS comprised of September to December and LBS were from May to July. Serial ultrasonography was performed on days 30, 45, 60, and 90 after breeding (day 0) to monitor pregnancy rate and embryonic and fetal losses. The pregnancy rate on day 30 after breeding was higher in NS as compared to AI group (63 vs. 43%; P < 0.05) during PBS while it did not differ (48 vs. 32%; P > 0.05) in LBS. The cumulative embryonic and fetal losses between days 31 and 90 were significantly lower in PBS than LBS (33 vs. 60%; P < 0.05), ignoring breeding method. Pregnancy rates were better with NS in PBS, and cumulative embryonic fetal losses were higher in LBS in Nili-Ravi buffalo.

Evaluating the Possibilities and Actualities of the Learning Process: How a School Pilot Wellbeing Programme Worked as an Organisational Learning Process Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Jane; Sice, Petia

2016-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to reflect on the opportunities and challenges of the learning process in practice and explores the case of a local authority school Pilot Wellbeing Programme (PWP) intervention. The aim of the PWP was to create the best workplace conditions and circumstances for people to flourish and mature, both individually and…

Use of Simulation in Nursing Education: Initial Experiences on a European Union Lifelong Learning Programme--Leonardo Da Vinci Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Terzioglu, Fusun; Tuna, Zahide; Duygulu, Sergul; Boztepe, Handan; Kapucu, Sevgisun; Ozdemir, Leyla; Akdemir, Nuran; Kocoglu, Deniz; Alinier, Guillaume; Festini, Filippo

2013-01-01

Aim: The aim of this paper is to share the initial experiences on a European Union (EU) Lifelong Learning Programme Leonardo Da Vinci Transfer of Innovation Project related to the use of simulation-based learning with nursing students from Turkey. The project started at the end of the 2010 involving 7 partners from 3 different countries including…

Whole genome sequencing of turbot (Scophthalmus maximus; Pleuronectiformes): a fish adapted to demersal life

PubMed Central

Figueras, Antonio; Robledo, Diego; Corvelo, André; Hermida, Miguel; Pereiro, Patricia; Rubiolo, Juan A.; Gómez-Garrido, Jèssica; Carreté, Laia; Bello, Xabier; Gut, Marta; Gut, Ivo Glynne; Marcet-Houben, Marina; Forn-Cuní, Gabriel; Galán, Beatriz; García, José Luis; Abal-Fabeiro, José Luis; Pardo, Belen G.; Taboada, Xoana; Fernández, Carlos; Vlasova, Anna; Hermoso-Pulido, Antonio; Guigó, Roderic; Álvarez-Dios, José Antonio; Gómez-Tato, Antonio; Viñas, Ana; Maside, Xulio; Gabaldón, Toni; Novoa, Beatriz; Bouza, Carmen; Alioto, Tyler; Martínez, Paulino

2016-01-01

The turbot is a flatfish (Pleuronectiformes) with increasing commercial value, which has prompted active genomic research aimed at more efficient selection. Here we present the sequence and annotation of the turbot genome, which represents a milestone for both boosting breeding programmes and ascertaining the origin and diversification of flatfish. We compare the turbot genome with model fish genomes to investigate teleost chromosome evolution. We observe a conserved macrosyntenic pattern within Percomorpha and identify large syntenic blocks within the turbot genome related to the teleost genome duplication. We identify gene family expansions and positive selection of genes associated with vision and metabolism of membrane lipids, which suggests adaptation to demersal lifestyle and to cold temperatures, respectively. Our data indicate a quick evolution and diversification of flatfish to adapt to benthic life and provide clues for understanding their controversial origin. Moreover, we investigate the genomic architecture of growth, sex determination and disease resistance, key traits for understanding local adaptation and boosting turbot production, by mapping candidate genes and previously reported quantitative trait loci. The genomic architecture of these productive traits has allowed the identification of candidate genes and enriched pathways that may represent useful information for future marker-assisted selection in turbot. PMID:26951068

Whole genome sequencing of turbot (Scophthalmus maximus; Pleuronectiformes): a fish adapted to demersal life.

PubMed

Figueras, Antonio; Robledo, Diego; Corvelo, André; Hermida, Miguel; Pereiro, Patricia; Rubiolo, Juan A; Gómez-Garrido, Jèssica; Carreté, Laia; Bello, Xabier; Gut, Marta; Gut, Ivo Glynne; Marcet-Houben, Marina; Forn-Cuní, Gabriel; Galán, Beatriz; García, José Luis; Abal-Fabeiro, José Luis; Pardo, Belen G; Taboada, Xoana; Fernández, Carlos; Vlasova, Anna; Hermoso-Pulido, Antonio; Guigó, Roderic; Álvarez-Dios, José Antonio; Gómez-Tato, Antonio; Viñas, Ana; Maside, Xulio; Gabaldón, Toni; Novoa, Beatriz; Bouza, Carmen; Alioto, Tyler; Martínez, Paulino

2016-06-01

The turbot is a flatfish (Pleuronectiformes) with increasing commercial value, which has prompted active genomic research aimed at more efficient selection. Here we present the sequence and annotation of the turbot genome, which represents a milestone for both boosting breeding programmes and ascertaining the origin and diversification of flatfish. We compare the turbot genome with model fish genomes to investigate teleost chromosome evolution. We observe a conserved macrosyntenic pattern within Percomorpha and identify large syntenic blocks within the turbot genome related to the teleost genome duplication. We identify gene family expansions and positive selection of genes associated with vision and metabolism of membrane lipids, which suggests adaptation to demersal lifestyle and to cold temperatures, respectively. Our data indicate a quick evolution and diversification of flatfish to adapt to benthic life and provide clues for understanding their controversial origin. Moreover, we investigate the genomic architecture of growth, sex determination and disease resistance, key traits for understanding local adaptation and boosting turbot production, by mapping candidate genes and previously reported quantitative trait loci. The genomic architecture of these productive traits has allowed the identification of candidate genes and enriched pathways that may represent useful information for future marker-assisted selection in turbot. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Kazusa DNA Research Institute.

Resistance rather than tolerance explains survival of savannah honeybees (Apis mellifera scutellata) to infestation by the parasitic mite Varroa destructor.

PubMed

Strauss, Ursula; Dietemann, Vincent; Human, Hannelie; Crewe, Robin M; Pirk, Christian W W

2016-03-01

Varroa destructor is considered the most damaging parasite affecting honeybees (Apis mellifera L.). However, some honeybee populations such as the savannah honeybee (Apis mellifera scutellata) can survive mite infestation without treatment. It is unclear if survival is due to resistance mechanisms decreasing parasite reproduction or to tolerance mechanisms decreasing the detrimental effects of mites on the host. This study investigates both aspects by quantifying the reproductive output of V. destructor and its physiological costs at the individual host level. Costs measured were not consistently lower when compared with susceptible honeybee populations, indicating a lack of tolerance. In contrast, reproduction of V. destructor mites was distinctly lower than in susceptible populations. There was higher proportion of infertile individuals and the reproductive success of fertile mites was lower than measured to date, even in surviving populations. Our results suggest that survival of savannah honeybees is based on resistance rather than tolerance to this parasite. We identified traits that may be useful for breeding programmes aimed at increasing the survival of susceptible populations. African honeybees may have benefited from a lack of human interference, allowing natural selection to shape a population of honeybees that is more resistant to Varroa mite infestation.

Identification of alleles and genotypes of beta-casein with DNA sequencing analysis in Chinese Holstein cow.

PubMed

Dai, Ronghua; Fang, Yu; Zhao, Wenjing; Liu, Shuyun; Ding, Jinmei; Xu, Ke; Yang, Lingyu; He, Chuan; Ding, Fangmei; Meng, He

2016-08-01

The study reported in this Regional Research Communication aimed to analyse the genetic polymorphisms of β-casein in Chinese Holstein cows. β-casein has received considerable research interest in the dairy industry and animal breeding in recent years as a source not only of high quality protein, but also of bioactive peptides that may be linked to health effects. Morever, the polymorphic nature of β-casein and its association with milk production traits, composition, and quality also attracted several efforts in evaluating the allelic distribution of β-casein locus as a potential dairy trait marker. However, few data on beta-casein variants are available for the Chinese Holstein cow. In the present paper, one hundred and thirty three Holstein cows were included in the analysis. Results revealed the presence of 5 variants (A1, A2, A3, B and I), preponderance of the genotype A1A2 (0·353) and superiorities of A1/A2 alleles (0·432 and 0·459, respectively) in the population. Sequence analysis of β-casein gene in the cows showed four nucleotide changes in exon 7. Our study can provide reference and guidance for selection for superior milk for industrial applications and crossbreeding and genetic improvement programmes.

An approach to the phytochemical profiling of rocket [Eruca sativa (Mill.) Thell].

PubMed

Villatoro-Pulido, Myriam; Priego-Capote, Feliciano; Álvarez-Sánchez, Beatriz; Saha, Shikha; Philo, Mark; Obregón-Cano, Sara; De Haro-Bailón, Antonio; Font, Rafael; Del Río-Celestino, Mercedes

2013-12-01

Eruca sativa (rocket) contains a wide range of compounds with nutraceutical and organoleptical properties. This research aimed to characterise the nutraceutical interest of four rocket accessions by analysis of glucosinolates, isothiocyanates, phenolics, carotenoids and carbohydrates. Different methods based on chromatographic separation with ultraviolet absorbance or mass spectrometry detection were used. The total content of glucosinolates ranged from 14.02 to 28.24 µmol g(-1) of dry weight. Glucoraphanin represented up to 52% of the total glucosinolates in leaves of one accession. Accessions showed differences in the hydrolysis of glucoraphanin to the isothiocyanate sulforaphane. No correlation between these compounds was observed, which insisted differences in the myrosinase activity within accessions. Rocket leaves had variable phenolic profiles represented by quercetin-3-glucoside, rutin, myricetin, quercetin and ferulic and p-coumaric acids. A high variability was observed for the total carotenoids ranged from 16.2 to 275 µg g(-1) with lutein as the main carotenoid. Glucose was the predominant sugar, representing >70% of the total soluble carbohydrates. Some accessions could be candidates for future breeding programmes because of their pattern of beneficial compounds for human health. However, further research is essential to evaluate the biological activity of these accessions before designing functional food. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry.

Evaluating the Productive Ward at an acute NHS trust: experiences and implications of releasing time to care.

PubMed

Wright, Stella; McSherry, Wilfred

2014-07-01

To demonstrate how a national programme aimed to increase the amount of direct time nurses spend with patients', impacts on both staff and patient experience. The Productive Ward is an improvement programme developed by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement (2007, http://www.institute.nhs.uk/quality_and_value/productivity_series/productive_ward.html) which aims to enable nurses to work more efficiently by reviewing process and practice, thus releasing more time to spend on direct patient care. However, there is little empirical published research around the programme, particularly concerning impact, sustainability and the patient perspective. This manuscript presents the findings from qualitative interviews involving both staff and patients. Semi-structured one-to-one interviews were conducted with patients (n = 8) and staff (n = 5) on five case study wards. Seven focus groups were held according to staff grade (n = 29). Despite initial scepticism, most staff embraced the opportunity and demonstrated genuine enthusiasm and energy for the programme. Patients were generally complimentary about their experience as an inpatient, reporting that staff made them feel safe, comfortable and cared for. Findings showed that the aims of the programme were partially met. The implementation of Productive Ward was associated with significant changes to the ward environment and improvements for staff. The programme equipped staff with skills and knowledge which acted as a primer for subsequent interventions. However, there was a lack of evidence to demonstrate that Productive Ward released time for direct patient care in all areas that implemented the programme. Developing robust performance indicators including a system to capture reinvestment of direct care time would enable frontline staff to demonstrate impact of the programme. Additionally, staff will need to ensure that reorganisation and instability across the NHS do not affect sustainability and viability of the Productive Ward in the long term. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A review on breeding and genetic strategies in Iranian buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis).

PubMed

Safari, Abbas; Ghavi Hossein-Zadeh, Navid; Shadparvar, Abdol Ahad; Abdollahi Arpanahi, Rostam

2018-04-01

The aim of current study was to review breeding progress and update information on genetic strategies in Iranian buffaloes. Iranian buffalo is one of the vital domestic animals throughout north, north-west, south and south-west of Iran with measurable characteristics both in milk and meat production. The species plays an important role in rural economy of the country due to its unique characteristics such as resistance to diseases and parasites, having long productive lifespan and showing higher capability of consuming low-quality forage. In Iran, total production of milk and meat devoted to buffaloes are 293,000 and 24,700 tons, respectively. Selection activities and milk yield recording are carrying out by the central government through the Animal Breeding Centre of Iran. The main breeding activities of Iranian buffaloes included the estimation of genetic parameters and genetic trends for performance traits using different models and methods, estimation of economic values and selection criteria and analysis of population structure. Incorporating different aspects of dairy buffalo management together with improved housing, nutrition, breeding and milking, is known to produce significant improvements in buffalo production. Therefore, identifying genetic potential of Iranian buffaloes, selection of superior breeds, improving nutritional management and reproduction and developing the education and increasing the skills of practical breeders can be useful in order to enhance the performance and profitability of Iranian buffaloes.

Cranial Suture Closure in Domestic Dog Breeds and Its Relationships to Skull Morphology.

PubMed

Geiger, Madeleine; Haussman, Sinah

2016-04-01

Bulldog-type brachycephalic domestic dog breeds are characterized by a relatively short and broad skull with a dorsally rotated rostrum (airorhynchy). Not much is known about the association between a bulldog-type skull conformation and peculiar patterns of suture and synchondrosis closure in domestic dogs. In this study, we aim to explore breed-specific patterns of cranial suture and synchondrosis closure in relation to the prebasial angle (proxy for airorhynchy and thus bulldog-type skull conformation) in domestic dogs. For this purpose, we coded closure of 18 sutures and synchondroses in 26 wolves, that is, the wild ancestor of all domestic dogs, and 134 domestic dogs comprising 11 breeds. Comparisons of the relative amount of closing and closed sutures and synchondroses (closure scores) in adult individuals showed that bulldog-type breeds have significantly higher closure scores than non-bulldog-type breeds and that domestic dogs have significantly higher closure scores than the wolf. We further found that the prebasial angle is significantly positively correlated with the amount of closure of the basispheno-presphenoid synchondrosis and sutures of the nose (premaxillo-nasal and maxillo-nasal) and the palate (premaxillo-maxillary and interpalatine). Our results show that there is a correlation between patterns of suture and synchondrosis closure and skull shape in domestic dogs, although the causal relationships remain elusive. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Genotype by environment interaction and breeding for robustness in livestock

PubMed Central

Rauw, Wendy M.; Gomez-Raya, Luis

2015-01-01

The increasing size of the human population is projected to result in an increase in meat consumption. However, at the same time, the dominant position of meat as the center of meals is on the decline. Modern objections to the consumption of meat include public concerns with animal welfare in livestock production systems. Animal breeding practices have become part of the debate since it became recognized that animals in a population that have been selected for high production efficiency are more at risk for behavioral, physiological and immunological problems. As a solution, animal breeding practices need to include selection for robustness traits, which can be implemented through the use of reaction norms analysis, or though the direct inclusion of robustness traits in the breeding objective and in the selection index. This review gives an overview of genotype × environment interactions (the influence of the environment, reaction norms, phenotypic plasticity, canalization, and genetic homeostasis), reaction norms analysis in livestock production, options for selection for increased levels of production and against environmental sensitivity, and direct inclusion of robustness traits in the selection index. Ethical considerations of breeding for improved animal welfare are discussed. The discussion on animal breeding practices has been initiated and is very alive today. This positive trend is part of the sustainable food production movement that aims at feeding 9.15 billion people not just in the near future but also beyond. PMID:26539207

Breeding period in the mangrove crab Goniopsis cruentata (Decapoda: Grapsidae) in Northeast Brazil.

PubMed

de Lira, José Jonathas Pereira Rodrigues; Calado, Tereza Cristina dos Santos; de Araújo, Marina de Sá Leitão Câmara

2013-03-01

The brachyuran crabs are iteroparous species which present a high diversification of reproduction patterns, which may have evolved as a species-specific response to environmental conditions. Tropical species commonly present a year-round reproduction due to stable environment conditions. Goniopsis cruentata is a crab species widely distributed along the Western Atlantic, inhabiting practically every microhabitat in the mangrove ecosystem. The aim of the present study is to determine the breeding period of the crab Goniopsis cruentata in Northeastern Brazil and also to evaluate the influence of water salinity, rainfall and air and water temperature on it. A total of 71 ovigerous females, captured from August-2007 to July-2008, were used to assess the breeding period of this species. It was analyzed by the monthly proportion of ovigerous females. A correlation was applied to verify the influence of the abiotic factors on the breeding period. The present population bred seasonal-continuously with peaks in the dry period, which was not associated with monthly variations of salinity, rainfall and air and water temperatures. Therefore, according to statistical analyses, our hypothesis was refuted. However, breeding was intensified in the dry period, when salinity and temperatures were higher and rainfall was lower. We conclude that, even though breeding is not related to monthly variation of environmental factors, it occurs in periods of higher salinity and temperatures and lower rainfall.

Preparing dental students for careers as independent dental professionals: clinical audit and community-based clinical teaching.

PubMed

Lynch, C D; Llewelyn, J; Ash, P J; Chadwick, B L

2011-05-28

Community-based clinical teaching programmes are now an established feature of most UK dental school training programmes. Appropriately implemented, they enhance the educational achievements and competences achieved by dental students within the earlier part of their developing careers, while helping students to traverse the often-difficult transition between dental school and vocational/foundation training and independent practice. Dental school programmes have often been criticised for 'lagging behind' developments in general dental practice - an important example being the so-called 'business of dentistry', including clinical audit. As readers will be aware, clinical audit is an essential component of UK dental practice, with the aims of improving the quality of clinical care and optimising patient safety. The aim of this paper is to highlight how training in clinical audit has been successfully embedded in the community-based clinical teaching programme at Cardiff.

The importance of information on relatives for the prediction of genomic breeding values and the implications for the makeup of reference data sets in livestock breeding schemes.

PubMed

Clark, Samuel A; Hickey, John M; Daetwyler, Hans D; van der Werf, Julius H J

2012-02-09

The theory of genomic selection is based on the prediction of the effects of genetic markers in linkage disequilibrium with quantitative trait loci. However, genomic selection also relies on relationships between individuals to accurately predict genetic value. This study aimed to examine the importance of information on relatives versus that of unrelated or more distantly related individuals on the estimation of genomic breeding values. Simulated and real data were used to examine the effects of various degrees of relationship on the accuracy of genomic selection. Genomic Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (gBLUP) was compared to two pedigree based BLUP methods, one with a shallow one generation pedigree and the other with a deep ten generation pedigree. The accuracy of estimated breeding values for different groups of selection candidates that had varying degrees of relationships to a reference data set of 1750 animals was investigated. The gBLUP method predicted breeding values more accurately than BLUP. The most accurate breeding values were estimated using gBLUP for closely related animals. Similarly, the pedigree based BLUP methods were also accurate for closely related animals, however when the pedigree based BLUP methods were used to predict unrelated animals, the accuracy was close to zero. In contrast, gBLUP breeding values, for animals that had no pedigree relationship with animals in the reference data set, allowed substantial accuracy. An animal's relationship to the reference data set is an important factor for the accuracy of genomic predictions. Animals that share a close relationship to the reference data set had the highest accuracy from genomic predictions. However a baseline accuracy that is driven by the reference data set size and the overall population effective population size enables gBLUP to estimate a breeding value for unrelated animals within a population (breed), using information previously ignored by pedigree based BLUP methods.

Frequency of dog erythrocyte antigen 1.1 in 4 breeds native to different areas in Turkey.

PubMed

Ergul Ekiz, Elif; Arslan, Murat; Ozcan, Mukaddes; Gultekin, Guldal Inal; Gulay, Ozlem Yildiz; Kirmizibayrak, Turgut; Giger, Urs

2011-12-01

Dog erythrocyte antigen (DEA) 1.1 is the most important RBC antigen clinically, as it is highly immunogenic and causes acute hemolytic transfusion reactions (HTR) in sensitized dogs. The aims of this study were to determine the frequency of DEA 1.1 expression in 4 Turkish dog breeds, and to estimate the potential risk of HTR when blood from a DEA 1.1-positive donor is administered to a DEA 1.1-negative recipient following sensitization by a prior mismatched transfusion. EDTA blood samples (n = 178) were typed for DEA 1.1 using a commercial gel-column agglutination test (ID-Gel-Test Canine DEA 1.1). Probabilities of sensitization and risk of an HTR were calculated. The frequency of positivity for DEA 1.1 among Kars (n = 59), Kangal (n = 53), Akbash (n = 50), and Catalburun (n = 16) breeds was 71.2%, 67.9%, 60.0%, and 50.0%, respectively. Potential risk for occurrence of an HTR after administration of blood from a dog of the same breed ranged from 12.5% to 14.8%, whereas HTR induced by blood of a dog from a different breed ranged from 7.2% to 25.3%. The frequency of DEA 1.1-positive dogs among 4 Turkish breeds is high compared with that of most other breeds previously surveyed. The predicted risk of both sensitization and occurrence of DEA 1.1-related HTR following transfusion between dogs of either the same or different Turkish breeds was considerable. Although few dogs are transfused ≥4 days after the first transfusion, we recommend that (1) all donors and recipients be typed for DEA 1.1, (2) DEA 1.1-negative recipients receive only DEA 1.1-negative blood, and (3) blood be cross-matched prior to transfusing any dog ≥4 days after the first transfusion. These guidelines are also applicable to other breeds and countries. © 2011 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.

Birth timing and behavioral responsiveness predict individual differences in the mother-infant relationship and infant behavior during weaning and maternal breeding

PubMed Central

Vandeleest, Jessica J.; Capitanio, John P.

2012-01-01

There is a great deal of variability in mother-infant interactions and infant behavior across the first year of life in rhesus monkeys. The current paper has two specific aims: 1) to determine if birth timing predicts variability in the mother-infant relationship and infant behavior during weaning and maternal breeding, and 2) to identify predictors of infant behavior during a period of acute challenge, maternal breeding. Forty-one mother-infant pairs were observed during weaning when infants were 4.5 months old, and 33 were followed through maternal breeding. Subjective ratings of 16 adjectives reflecting qualities of maternal attitude, mother-infant interactions, and infant attitude were factor analyzed to construct factors relating to the mother-infant relationship (Relaxed and Aggressive), and infant behavior (Positive Engagement and Distress). During weaning, late born infants were more Positively Engaged than peak born infants (ANOVA, P < 0.05); however, birth timing did not affect the mother-infant relationship factors Relaxed and Aggressive or the infant attitude factor Distress. During maternal breeding early born infants had less Relaxed relationships with their mothers than peak or late born infants, higher Positive Engagement scores than peak or late born infants, and tended to have higher Distress scores than peak born infants (Repeated-measures ANOVA, P < 0.05). In addition, Distress scores were higher during maternal breeding than during the pre- and post-breeding phases. Finally, multiple regression (P < 0.05) indicated that while infant behavioral responsiveness predicted infant Positive Engagement during the acute challenge of maternal breeding, qualities of the mother-infant relationship predicted infant Distress. These data suggest that birth timing influences the patterns of mother-infant interactions during weaning and maternal breeding. Additionally, infant behavioral responsiveness and mother-infant relationship quality impact infant social engagement and affect expression, respectively. PMID:24436198

Educational Change Following Conflict: Challenges Related to the Implementation of a Peace Education Programme in Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lauritzen, Solvor Mjøberg

2016-01-01

Following the post-election violence in Kenya an attempt to bring about educational change through a peace education programme was launched by the MoE, UNICEF and UNHCR. The programme, which was aimed at building peace at the grassroots level, targeted the areas most affected by the post-election violence. Teaching plans were designed for all…

Spring Fever: Process Evaluation of a Sex and Relationships Education Programme for Primary School Pupils

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newby, Katie V.; Mathieu-Chartier, Sara

2018-01-01

In primary schools in England, programmes of Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) are rare. Provision has been judged as requiring improvement in over one-third of these schools at a time when statutory provision has been mandated by the government. The aim of this study was to examine the early implementation of Spring Fever, a programme of…

Not Seeing the Wood for the Trees: Developing a Feedback Analysis Tool to Explore Feed Forward in Modularised Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hughes, Gwyneth; Smith, Holly; Creese, Brian

2015-01-01

This paper considers feedback in the context of modularised programmes in higher education in the UK. It is argued that the self-contained nature of modular assessment may limit feedback dialogue between staff and students to assignment-specific issues, and may impede student progress towards holistic programme-level aims and outcomes. A feedback…

Introducing Sexual Education to Russian Schools: Effects of Dance4life Program on Perceptions and Behavior of Adolescents and Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alekseeva, Evgeniya Georgievna; Krasnopolskaya, Irina; Skokova, Yulia

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study the effectiveness of the international volunteer programme's dance4life (D4L) in Russia. The programme aims to address taboos, stigma, discrimination, HIV/AIDS prevention and the promotion of sexual reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and a healthy lifestyle among adolescents. The programme uses an…

Strategic planning of the master programme in health informatics at Aalborg University: targeting and updating the programme, to meet explicit customer needs.

PubMed

Nøhr, C; Bygholm, A; Hejlesen, O

1998-06-01

Education is essentially giving people new skills and qualifications to fulfil certain tasks. In planning and managing educational programmes it is crucial to know what skills and what qualifications are needed to carry out the tasks in question, not to mention the importance of knowing what tasks are relevant to carry out. The programme in health informatics at Aalborg University produces health informatics professionals. The students are developing skills in solving informatics problems in health care organisations. The programme has been running for 3 years now and to maintain the perception of the aim for the programme a number of activities have been launched. In the following, the programme will be presented, the activities to obtain information on how to keep the programme targeted and updated will be described and the changes that are going to be introduced will be outlined.

Breed-specific incidence rates of canine primary bone tumors — A population based survey of dogs in Norway

PubMed Central

Anfinsen, Kristin P.; Grotmol, Tom; Bruland, Oyvind S.; Jonasdottir, Thora J.

2011-01-01

This is one of few published population-based studies describing breed specific rates of canine primary bone tumors. Incidence rates related to dog breeds could help clarify the impact of etiological factors such as birth weight, growth rate, and adult body weight/height on development of these tumors. The study population consisted of dogs within 4 large/giant breeds; Irish wolfhound (IW), Leonberger (LB), Newfoundland (NF), and Labrador retriever (LR), born between January 1st 1989 and December 31st 1998. Questionnaires distributed to owners of randomly selected dogs — fulfilling the criteria of breed, year of birth, and registration in the Norwegian Kennel Club — constituted the basis for this retrospective, population-based survey. Of the 3748 questionnaires received by owners, 1915 were completed, giving a response rate of 51%. Forty-three dogs had been diagnosed with primary bone tumors, based upon clinical examination and x-rays. The breeds IW and LB, with 126 and 72 cases per 10 000 dog years at risk (DYAR), respectively, had significantly higher incidence rates of primary bone tumors than NF and LR (P < 0.0001). Incidence rates for the latter were 11 and 2 cases per 10 000 DYAR, respectively. Pursuing a search for risk factors other than body size/weight is supported by the significantly different risks of developing primary bone tumors between similarly statured dogs, like NF and LB, observed in this study. Defining these breed-specific incidence rates enables subsequent case control studies, ultimately aiming to identify specific etiological factors for developing primary bone tumors. PMID:22210997

Computed tomographic morphometry of tympanic bulla shape and position in brachycephalic and mesaticephalic dog breeds.

PubMed

Mielke, Ben; Lam, Richard; Ter Haar, Gert

2017-09-01

Anatomic variations in skull morphology have been previously described for brachycephalic dogs; however there is little published information on interbreed variations in tympanic bulla morphology. This retrospective observational study aimed to (1) provide detailed descriptions of the computed tomographic (CT) morphology of tympanic bullae in a sample of dogs representing four brachycephalic breeds (Pugs, French Bulldogs, English Bulldog, and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels) versus two mesaticephalic breeds (Labrador retrievers and Jack Russell Terriers); and (2) test associations between tympanic bulla morphology and presence of middle ear effusion. Archived head CT scans for the above dog breeds were retrieved and a single observer measured tympanic bulla shape (width:height ratio), wall thickness, position relative to the temporomandibular joint, and relative volume (volume:body weight ratio). A total of 127 dogs were sampled. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels had significantly flatter tympanic bullae (greater width:height ratios) versus Pugs, English Bulldogs, Labrador retrievers, and Jack Russell terriers. French Bulldogs and Pugs had significantly more overlap between tympanic bullae and temporomandibular joints versus other breeds. All brachycephalic breeds had significantly lower tympanic bulla volume:weight ratios versus Labrador retrievers. Soft tissue attenuating material (middle ear effusion) was present in the middle ear of 48/100 (48%) of brachycephalic breeds, but no significant association was found between tympanic bulla CT measurements and presence of this material. Findings indicated that there are significant interbreed variations in tympanic bulla morphology, however no significant relationship between tympanic bulla morphology and presence of middle ear effusion could be identified. © 2017 American College of Veterinary Radiology.

Signatures of positive selection in African Butana and Kenana dairy zebu cattle

PubMed Central

Salim, Bashir; Almathen, Faisal; Al Enezi, Fahad; Mwacharo, Joram M.; Hanotte, Olivier

2018-01-01

Butana and Kenana are two types of zebu cattle found in Sudan. They are unique amongst African indigenous zebu cattle because of their high milk production. Aiming to understand their genome structure, we genotyped 25 individuals from each breed using the Illumina BovineHD Genotyping BeadChip. Genetic structure analysis shows that both breeds have an admixed genome composed of an even proportion of indicine (0.75 ± 0.03 in Butana, 0.76 ± 0.006 in Kenana) and taurine (0.23 ± 0.009 in Butana, 0.24 ± 0.006 in Kenana) ancestries. We also observe a proportion of 0.02 to 0.12 of European taurine ancestry in ten individuals of Butana that were sampled from cattle herds in Tamboul area suggesting local crossbreeding with exotic breeds. Signatures of selection analyses (iHS and Rsb) reveal 87 and 61 candidate positive selection regions in Butana and Kenana, respectively. These regions span genes and quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with biological pathways that are important for adaptation to marginal environments (e.g., immunity, reproduction and heat tolerance). Trypanotolerance QTL are intersecting candidate regions in Kenana cattle indicating selection pressure acting on them, which might be associated with an unexplored level of trypanotolerance in this cattle breed. Several dairy traits QTL are overlapping the identified candidate regions in these two zebu cattle breeds. Our findings underline the potential to improve dairy production in the semi-arid pastoral areas of Africa through breeding improvement strategy of indigenous local breeds. PMID:29300786

Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence varies by cat breed.

PubMed

Must, Kärt; Hytönen, Marjo K; Orro, Toomas; Lohi, Hannes; Jokelainen, Pikka

2017-01-01

Toxoplasma gondii is a widespread zoonotic parasite that is relevant for veterinary and public health. The domestic cat, the definitive host species with the largest worldwide population, has become evolutionarily and epidemiologically the most important host of T. gondii. The outcome of T. gondii infection is influenced by congenital and acquired host characteristics. We detected differences in T. gondii seroprevalence by cat breed in our previous studies. The aims of this study were to estimate T. gondii seroprevalence in selected domestic cat breeds, and to evaluate whether being of a certain breed is associated with T. gondii seropositivity, when the age and lifestyle of the cat are taken into account. The studied breeds were the Birman, British Shorthair, Burmese, Korat, Norwegian Forest Cat, Ocicat, Persian, and Siamese. Plasma samples were analyzed for the presence of immunoglobulin G antibodies against T. gondii with a commercial direct agglutination test at dilution 1:40. The samples were accompanied by owner-completed questionnaires that provided background data on the cats. Overall, 41.12% of the 1121 cats tested seropositive, and the seroprevalence increased with age. The Burmese had the lowest seroprevalence (18.82%) and the Persian had the highest (60.00%). According to the final multivariable logistic regression model, the odds to test seropositive were four to seven times higher in Birmans, Ocicats, Norwegian Forest Cats, and Persians when compared with the Burmese, while older age and receiving raw meat were also risk factors for T. gondii seropositivity. This study showed that T. gondii seroprevalence varies by cat breed and identified being of certain breeds, older age, and receiving raw meat as risk factors for seropositivity.

Volatile compounds of Celta dry-cured 'lacón' as affected by cross-breeding with Duroc and Landrace genotypes.

PubMed

Lorenzo, José M; Fonseca, Sonia

2014-11-01

Dry-cured 'lacón' is a traditional cured meat product made in the north-west of Spain from the pigs' foreleg, with similar manufacturing process to that used in dry-cured ham. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of cross-breeding of Celta pig with Landrace or Duroc breeds on the formation of volatile compounds through the manufacture of 'lacón'. 'Lacón' from the crosses with Duroc presented lower final moisture (534 g kg(-1) ) and higher intra-muscular fat content [144 g kg(-1) dry matter (DM)] than 'lacón' from Celta pure breed (587 g kg(-1) and 36 g kg(-1) DM, respectively). Volatile compounds were extracted by solid-phase microextraction and analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Volatile compounds from 'lacón' were affected by cross-breeding. The total amount of volatile compounds significantly (P < 0.001) increased during the manufacturing process, this increase being more marked in samples from the Landrace cross-breed. The most abundant group of flavour compounds at the end of the manufacturing process was esters in the three batches, followed by aldehydes, hydrocarbons and alcohols. The most abundant ester at the end of the process was hexanoic acid methyl ester, while the aldehyde found in a higher amount was hexanal. The profile of volatile compounds was affected by cross-breed, especially at the end of the 'lacón' dry-curing process. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

Microsatellite-based genetic diversity and population structure of domestic sheep in northern Eurasia.

PubMed

Tapio, Miika; Ozerov, Mikhail; Tapio, Ilma; Toro, Miguel A; Marzanov, Nurbiy; Cinkulov, Mirjana; Goncharenko, Galina; Kiselyova, Tatyana; Murawski, Maziek; Kantanen, Juha

2010-08-10

Identification of global livestock diversity hotspots and their importance in diversity maintenance is essential for making global conservation efforts. We screened 52 sheep breeds from the Eurasian subcontinent with 20 microsatellite markers. By estimating and weighting differently within- and between-breed genetic variation our aims were to identify genetic diversity hotspots and prioritize the importance of each breed for conservation, respectively. In addition we estimated how important within-species diversity hotspots are in livestock conservation. Bayesian clustering analysis revealed three genetic clusters, termed Nordic, Composite and Fat-tailed. Southern breeds from close to the region of sheep domestication were more variable, but less genetically differentiated compared with more northern populations. Decreasing weight for within-breed diversity component led to very high representation of genetic clusters or regions containing more diverged breeds, but did not increase phenotypic diversity among the high ranked breeds. Sampling populations throughout 14 regional groups was suggested for maximized total genetic diversity. During initial steps of establishing a livestock conservation program populations from the diversity hot-spot area are the most important ones, but for the full design our results suggested that approximately equal population presentation across environments should be considered. Even in this case, higher per population emphasis in areas of high diversity is appropriate. The analysis was based on neutral data, but we have no reason to think the general trend is limited to this type of data. However, a comprehensive valuation of populations should balance production systems, phenotypic traits and available genetic information, and include consideration of probability of success.

Comparison of meat quality characteristics and fatty acid composition of finished goat kids from indigenous and dairy breeds.

PubMed

Yalcintan, Hulya; Ekiz, Bulent; Ozcan, Mustafa

2018-03-03

The aim of the study was to compare the certain carcass and meat quality traits and also fatty acid composition of goat kids from indigenous breeds (Gokceada and Hair Goat) and dairy breeds (Saanen and Maltese). A total 40 male kids from Saanen, Gokceada, Maltese and Hair Goat breeds were collected from commercial farms after weaning. Kids were finished for 56 days with grower concentrate and alfalfa hay in the sheepfold until slaughter. Higher mean values were found for Saanen kids in terms of slaughter weight, hot carcass weight and real dressing compared with Maltese, Hair Goat and Gokceada kids under the same intensive conditions. On the other hand, there were no significant differences between breeds in terms of instrumental meat quality traits, except meat colour. Meat from Gokceada and Hair Goat kids had higher lightness and Hue angle values than Saanen kids after 24 h of blooming. High meat redness values were observed for Saanen kids after 0 and 1 h of blooming. Panellist appreciated cooked meat from Saanen and Maltese kids in overall acceptability. If the fatty acid composition of meat was taken into consideration, kids from Saanen and Gokceada breeds displayed better values, because of the lower ƩSFA percentage and higher desirable fatty acids (C18:0 + ΣMUFA + ΣPUFA) percentage than Maltese and Hair Goat kids. Our results indicate that male kids for Saanen which is dairy breed could be assessable for quality goat meat production.

Microsatellite-based genetic diversity and population structure of domestic sheep in northern Eurasia

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Identification of global livestock diversity hotspots and their importance in diversity maintenance is essential for making global conservation efforts. We screened 52 sheep breeds from the Eurasian subcontinent with 20 microsatellite markers. By estimating and weighting differently within- and between-breed genetic variation our aims were to identify genetic diversity hotspots and prioritize the importance of each breed for conservation, respectively. In addition we estimated how important within-species diversity hotspots are in livestock conservation. Results Bayesian clustering analysis revealed three genetic clusters, termed Nordic, Composite and Fat-tailed. Southern breeds from close to the region of sheep domestication were more variable, but less genetically differentiated compared with more northern populations. Decreasing weight for within-breed diversity component led to very high representation of genetic clusters or regions containing more diverged breeds, but did not increase phenotypic diversity among the high ranked breeds. Sampling populations throughout 14 regional groups was suggested for maximized total genetic diversity. Conclusions During initial steps of establishing a livestock conservation program populations from the diversity hot-spot area are the most important ones, but for the full design our results suggested that approximately equal population presentation across environments should be considered. Even in this case, higher per population emphasis in areas of high diversity is appropriate. The analysis was based on neutral data, but we have no reason to think the general trend is limited to this type of data. However, a comprehensive valuation of populations should balance production systems, phenotypic traits and available genetic information, and include consideration of probability of success. PMID:20698974

Public nursing home staff's experience of participating in an intervention aimed at enhancing their self-esteem.

PubMed

Wadensten, Barbro; Engström, Maria; Häggström, Elisabeth

2009-11-01

The aim of the present study was to gain an understanding of how nursing staff experienced participating in a training programme aimed at strengthening their self-esteem and empowering them, to determine whether participation benefited them in any way, and to describe their opinions about possible benefits or disadvantages. Staff working in institutions such as nursing homes have a low status in society. A training programme was introduced to staff in a public nursing home. It focused on helping them understand factors in the work situation that influence them and on empowering them. The study was explorative and qualitative in design. The participants in the programme were generally satisfied with it. Their opinions about the benefits they received from the programme can be described using three themes: 'improved communication skills', 'enhanced self-esteem' and 'sees work in a different light'. The most important finding of the present study is that it was possible to strengthen and empower staff. Staff members were generally pleased and satisfied with the content/organization of the training programme. They felt the programme had been of value to them by improving their communication skills and increasing their self-esteem. The present result could be of value to managers and educators working in the area of nursing home care when planning education and development activities for staff. Learning to communicate better and understand the social structure at the workplace could improve staff members' self-esteem, thereby enhancing the work situation and atmosphere as well as empowering the individuals.

Training in paediatric clinical pharmacology in the UK

PubMed Central

Choonara, Imti; Dewit, Odile; Harrop, Emily; Howarth, Sheila; Helms, Peter; Kanabar, Dipak; Lenney, Warren; Rylance, George; Vallance, Patrick

2004-01-01

Aims To produce a training programme in paediatric clinical pharmacology. Methods A working group, consisting of clinical pharmacologists (paediatric and adult), general paediatricians and the pharmaceutical industry was established to produce the training programme. Results Following a two year training programme in general paediatrics, a three year training programme in clinical pharmacology has been established. This includes one year of research in clinical pharmacology (paediatric or adult). The other two years involve training in different aspects of paediatric clinical pharmacology and general paediatrics. Conclusion The existence of a formal training programme should result in a significant increase in the number of paediatric clinical pharmacologists. PMID:15255806

Hydrogel research in Germany: the priority programme, Intelligent Hydrogels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wallmersperger, Thomas; Sadowski, Gabriele

2009-03-01

The priority programme "Intelligent Hydrogels" was established by the German Research Foundation (DFG) in 2006 in order to strengthen the hydrogel-related research in Germany. The programme is being coordinated by Gabriele Sadowski, Technische Universität Dortmund. The aim of this priority programme is to develop new methods for the synthesis and characterization of smart hydrogels and to develop new modelling strategies in order to a) prepare the hydrogels for special applications and/or b) to develop and extend their capabilities for any desired use. In this programme, 73 scientists (36 professors and 37 scientific assistants/PhD students) from all over Germany are involved, working in 23 projects.

Outcome Evaluation of "Cool and Clean", a Sports-Based Substance Use Prevention Programme for Young People in Switzerland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wicki, Matthias; Kuntsche, Sandra; Stucki, Stephanie; Marmet, Simon; Annaheim, Beatrice

2018-01-01

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of Cool and Clean, Switzerland's largest substance use prevention programme, targeted specifically at 10- to 20-year-olds who belong to a sports club and train as part of a team. Method: Based on a representative sample of young people who belong to a sports club and train as part of a team…

Rehabilitation of the central executive component of working memory: a re-organisation approach applied to a single case.

PubMed

Duval, J; Coyette, F; Seron, X

2008-08-01

This paper describes and evaluates a programme of neuropsychological rehabilitation which aims to improve three sub-components of the working memory central executive: processing load, updating and dual-task monitoring, by the acquisition of three re-organisation strategies (double coding, serial processing and speed reduction). Our programme has two stages: cognitive rehabilitation (graduated exercises subdivided into three sub-programmes each corresponding to a sub-component) which enables the patient to acquire the three specific strategies; and an ecological rehabilitation, including analyses of scenarios and simulations of real-life situations, which aims to transfer the strategies learned to everyday life. The programme also includes information meetings. It was applied to a single case who had working memory deficits after a surgical operation for a cerebral tumour on his left internal temporal ganglioglioma. Multiple baseline tests were used to measure the effectiveness of the rehabilitation. The programme proved to be effective for all three working memory components; a generalisation of its effects to everyday life was observed, and the effects were undiminished three months later.

Understanding and improving access to prompt and effective malaria treatment and care in rural Tanzania: the ACCESS Programme.

PubMed

Hetzel, Manuel W; Iteba, Nelly; Makemba, Ahmed; Mshana, Christopher; Lengeler, Christian; Obrist, Brigit; Schulze, Alexander; Nathan, Rose; Dillip, Angel; Alba, Sandra; Mayumana, Iddy; Khatib, Rashid A; Njau, Joseph D; Mshinda, Hassan

2007-06-29

Prompt access to effective treatment is central in the fight against malaria. However, a variety of interlinked factors at household and health system level influence access to timely and appropriate treatment and care. Furthermore, access may be influenced by global and national health policies. As a consequence, many malaria episodes in highly endemic countries are not treated appropriately. The ACCESS Programme aims at understanding and improving access to prompt and effective malaria treatment and care in a rural Tanzanian setting. The programme's strategy is based on a set of integrated interventions, including social marketing for improved care seeking at community level as well as strengthening of quality of care at health facilities. This is complemented by a project that aims to improve the performance of drug stores. The interventions are accompanied by a comprehensive set of monitoring and evaluation activities measuring the programme's performance and (health) impact. Baseline data demonstrated heterogeneity in the availability of malaria treatment, unavailability of medicines and treatment providers in certain areas as well as quality problems with regard to drugs and services. The ACCESS Programme is a combination of multiple complementary interventions with a strong evaluation component. With this approach, ACCESS aims to contribute to the development of a more comprehensive access framework and to inform and support public health professionals and policy-makers in the delivery of improved health services.

Bridging the phenotypic and genetic data useful for integrated breeding through a data annotation using the Crop Ontology developed by the crop communities of practice

PubMed Central

Shrestha, Rosemary; Matteis, Luca; Skofic, Milko; Portugal, Arllet; McLaren, Graham; Hyman, Glenn; Arnaud, Elizabeth

2012-01-01

The Crop Ontology (CO) of the Generation Challenge Program (GCP) (http://cropontology.org/) is developed for the Integrated Breeding Platform (IBP) (http://www.integratedbreeding.net/) by several centers of The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR): bioversity, CIMMYT, CIP, ICRISAT, IITA, and IRRI. Integrated breeding necessitates that breeders access genotypic and phenotypic data related to a given trait. The CO provides validated trait names used by the crop communities of practice (CoP) for harmonizing the annotation of phenotypic and genotypic data and thus supporting data accessibility and discovery through web queries. The trait information is completed by the description of the measurement methods and scales, and images. The trait dictionaries used to produce the Integrated Breeding (IB) fieldbooks are synchronized with the CO terms for an automatic annotation of the phenotypic data measured in the field. The IB fieldbook provides breeders with direct access to the CO to get additional descriptive information on the traits. Ontologies and trait dictionaries are online for cassava, chickpea, common bean, groundnut, maize, Musa, potato, rice, sorghum, and wheat. Online curation and annotation tools facilitate (http://cropontology.org) direct maintenance of the trait information and production of trait dictionaries by the crop communities. An important feature is the cross referencing of CO terms with the Crop database trait ID and with their synonyms in Plant Ontology (PO) and Trait Ontology (TO). Web links between cross referenced terms in CO provide online access to data annotated with similar ontological terms, particularly the genetic data in Gramene (University of Cornell) or the evaluation and climatic data in the Global Repository of evaluation trials of the Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security programme (CCAFS). Cross-referencing and annotation will be further applied in the IBP. PMID:22934074

Evaluation of the implementation of a whole-workplace walking programme using the RE-AIM framework.

PubMed

Adams, Emma J; Chalkley, Anna E; Esliger, Dale W; Sherar, Lauren B

2017-05-18

Promoting walking for the journey to/from work and during the working day is one potential approach to increase physical activity in adults. Walking Works was a practice-led, whole-workplace walking programme delivered by employees (walking champions). This study aimed to evaluate the implementation of Walking Works using the RE-AIM framework and provide recommendations for future delivery of whole-workplace walking programmes. Two cross sectional surveys were conducted; 1544 (28%) employees completed the baseline survey and 918 employees (21%) completed the follow-up survey. Effectiveness was assessed using baseline and follow-up data; reach, implementation and maintenance were assessed using follow-up data only. For categorical data, Chi square tests were conducted to assess differences between surveys or groups. Continuous data were analysed to test for significant differences using a Mann-Whitney U test. Telephone interviews were conducted with the lead organisation co-ordinator, eight walking champions and three business representatives at follow-up. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed to identify key themes related to adoption, implementation and maintenance. Adoption: Five workplaces participated in Walking Works. Reach: 480 (52.3%) employees were aware of activities and 221 (24.1%) participated. A variety of walking activities were delivered. Some programme components were not delivered as planned which was partly due to barriers in using walking champions to deliver activities. These included the walking champions' capacity, skills, support needs, ability to engage senior management, and the number and type of activities they could deliver. Other barriers included lack of management support, difficulties communicating information about activities and challenges embedding the programme into normal business activities. Effectiveness: No significant changes in walking to/from work or walking during the working day were observed. Maintenance: Plans to continue activities were mainly dependent on identifying continued funding. RE-AIM provided a useful framework for evaluating Walking Works. No changes in walking behaviour were observed. This may have been due to barriers in using walking champions to deliver activities, programme components not being delivered as intended, the types of activities delivered, or lack of awareness and participation by employees. Recommendations are provided for researchers and practitioners implementing future whole-workplace walking programmes.

Effects of Hand-Rearing on Reproductive Success in Captive Large Cats Panthera tigris altaica, Uncia uncia, Acinonyx jubatus and Neofelis nebulosa

PubMed Central

Hampson, Maja Coulthard; Schwitzer, Christoph

2016-01-01

Species Survival Plans and European Endangered Species Programmes have been developed for several species of endangered felids in order to build up captive reserve populations and support their conservation in the wild. The Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica), snow leopard (Uncia uncia), cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) and clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) are managed in such ex situ conservation programmes. Many zoological institutions hand-rear offspring if rearing by the mother fails. Hand-rearing can cause behavioural problems, resulting in decreased copulation and lower breeding success in some species. In this study, studbook data subsets were examined: from 1901 to 2011; and 2000 to 2011. We analysed records from 4273 Siberian tigers, 2045 snow leopards, 3435 cheetahs, and 804 clouded leopards. We assessed the number of offspring produced, litter size, age at first reproduction, longevity, infant mortality and generational rearing of hand-reared versus parent-reared individuals. Hand-reared Siberian tigers (p<0.01; p = 0.0113), snow leopards (p<0.01), male cheetahs (p<0.01) and female clouded leopards (p<0.01) produced fewer offspring than parent-reared individuals. Hand-reared snow leopard breeding pairs had larger litters than parent-reared pairs (p = 0.0404). Hand-reared snow leopard females reproduced later in life (p<0.01). Hand-reared female Siberian tigers lived shorter lives, while hand-reared cheetahs lived longer (p<0.01; p = 0.0107). Infant mortality was higher in hand-reared snow leopards (p<0.01) and male cheetahs (p = 0.0395) in the 1901–2011 dataset and lower in hand-reared female Siberian tiger and male snow leopard cubs (p = 0.0404; p = 0.0349) in the 2000–2011 dataset. The rearing of the mother and subsequent rearing of offspring showed a significant relationship for all species (p<0.01 for Siberian tiger and snow leopard cubs; p<0.001 for cheetah and snow leopard cubs). Taking into account the limited carrying capacity of zoos, the results of this study highlight that careful consideration should be taken when deciding whether or not to hand-rear individuals that are part of Species Survival Plans and European Endangered Species Programmes. PMID:27214261

De novo assembly of maritime pine transcriptome: implications for forest breeding and biotechnology.

PubMed

Canales, Javier; Bautista, Rocio; Label, Philippe; Gómez-Maldonado, Josefa; Lesur, Isabelle; Fernández-Pozo, Noe; Rueda-López, Marina; Guerrero-Fernández, Dario; Castro-Rodríguez, Vanessa; Benzekri, Hicham; Cañas, Rafael A; Guevara, María-Angeles; Rodrigues, Andreia; Seoane, Pedro; Teyssier, Caroline; Morel, Alexandre; Ehrenmann, François; Le Provost, Grégoire; Lalanne, Céline; Noirot, Céline; Klopp, Christophe; Reymond, Isabelle; García-Gutiérrez, Angel; Trontin, Jean-François; Lelu-Walter, Marie-Anne; Miguel, Celia; Cervera, María Teresa; Cantón, Francisco R; Plomion, Christophe; Harvengt, Luc; Avila, Concepción; Gonzalo Claros, M; Cánovas, Francisco M

2014-04-01

Maritime pine (Pinus pinasterAit.) is a widely distributed conifer species in Southwestern Europe and one of the most advanced models for conifer research. In the current work, comprehensive characterization of the maritime pine transcriptome was performed using a combination of two different next-generation sequencing platforms, 454 and Illumina. De novo assembly of the transcriptome provided a catalogue of 26 020 unique transcripts in maritime pine trees and a collection of 9641 full-length cDNAs. Quality of the transcriptome assembly was validated by RT-PCR amplification of selected transcripts for structural and regulatory genes. Transcription factors and enzyme-encoding transcripts were annotated. Furthermore, the available sequencing data permitted the identification of polymorphisms and the establishment of robust single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and simple-sequence repeat (SSR) databases for genotyping applications and integration of translational genomics in maritime pine breeding programmes. All our data are freely available at SustainpineDB, the P. pinaster expressional database. Results reported here on the maritime pine transcriptome represent a valuable resource for future basic and applied studies on this ecological and economically important pine species. © 2013 Society for Experimental Biology, Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Breeding racehorses: what price good genes?

PubMed

Wilson, Alastair J; Rambaut, Andrew

2008-04-23

Horse racing is a multi-million pound industry, in which genetic information is increasingly used to optimize breeding programmes. To maximize the probability of producing a successful offspring, the owner of a mare should mate her with a high-quality stallion. However, stallions with big reputations command higher stud fees and paying these is only a sensible strategy if, (i) there is a genetic variation for success on the racecourse and (ii) stud fees are an honest signal of a stallion's genetic quality. Using data on thoroughbred racehorses, and lifetime earnings from prize money (LE) as a measure of success, we performed quantitative genetic analyses within an animal model framework to test these two conditions. Although LE is heritable (VA=0.299+/-0.108, Pr=0.002), there is no genetic variance for stud fee and the genetic correlation between traits is therefore zero. This result is supported by an absence of any relationship between stud fees for currently active stallions and the predicted LE for their (hypothetical) offspring. Thus, while there are good genes to be bought, a stallion's fees are not an honest signal of his genetic quality and are a poor predictor of a foal's prize winning potential.

Integrating spatial data and shorebird nesting locations to predict the potential future impact of global warming on coastal habitats: A case study on Farasan Islands, Saudi Arabia.

PubMed

Alrashidi, Monif; Shobrak, Mohammed; Al-Eissa, Mohammed S; Székely, Tamás

2012-07-01

One of the expected effects of the global warming is changing coastal habitats by accelerating the rate of sea level rise. Coastal habitats support large number of marine and wetland species including shorebirds (plovers, sandpipers and allies). In this study, we investigate how coastal habitats may be impacted by sea level rise in the Farasan Islands, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We use Kentish plover Charadrius alexandrinus - a common coastal breeding shorebird - as an ecological model species to predict the influence of sea level rise. We found that any rise of sea level is likely to inundate 11% of Kentish plover nests. In addition, 5% of the coastal areas of Farasan Islands, which support 26% of Kentish plover nests, will be flooded, if sea level rises by one metre. Our results are constrained by the availability of data on both elevation and bird populations. Therefore, we recommend follow-up studies to model the impacts of sea level rise using different elevation scenarios, and the establishment of a monitoring programme for breeding shorebirds and seabirds in Farasan Islands to assess the impact of climate change on their populations.

High-resolution melt and morphological analyses of mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) from cacao: tools for the control of Cacao swollen shoot virus spread.

PubMed

Wetten, Andy; Campbell, Colin; Allainguillaume, Joël

2016-03-01

Mealybugs (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Pseudococcidae) are key vectors of badnaviruses, including Cacao swollen shoot virus (CSSV), the most damaging virus affecting cacao (Theobroma cacao L.). The effectiveness of mealybugs as virus vectors is species dependent, and it is therefore vital that CSSV resistance breeding programmes in cacao incorporate accurate mealybug identification. In this work, the efficacy of a CO1-based DNA barcoding approach to species identification was evaluated by screening a range of mealybugs collected from cacao in seven countries. Morphologically similar adult females were characterised by scanning electron microscopy, and then, following DNA extraction, were screened with CO1 barcoding markers. A high degree of CO1 sequence homology was observed for all 11 individual haplotypes, including those accessions from distinct geographical regions. This has allowed the design of a high-resolution melt (HRM) assay capable of rapid identification of the commonly encountered mealybug pests of cacao. HRM analysis readily differentiated between mealybug pests of cacao that cannot necessarily be identified by conventional morphological analysis. This new approach, therefore, has potential to facilitate breeding for resistance to CSSV and other mealybug-transmitted diseases. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Maize ARGOS1 (ZAR1) transgenic alleles increase hybrid maize yield.

PubMed

Guo, Mei; Rupe, Mary A; Wei, Jun; Winkler, Chris; Goncalves-Butruille, Marymar; Weers, Ben P; Cerwick, Sharon F; Dieter, Jo Ann; Duncan, Keith E; Howard, Richard J; Hou, Zhenglin; Löffler, Carlos M; Cooper, Mark; Simmons, Carl R

2014-01-01

Crop improvement for yield and drought tolerance is challenging due to the complex genetic nature of these traits and environmental dependencies. This study reports that transgenic over-expression of Zea mays AR GOS1 (ZAR1) enhanced maize organ growth, grain yield, and drought-stress tolerance. The ZAR1 transgene exhibited environmental interactions, with yield increase under Temperate Dry and yield reduction under Temperate Humid or High Latitude environments. Native ZAR1 allele variation associated with drought-stress tolerance. Two founder alleles identified in the mid-maturity germplasm of North America now predominate in Pioneer's modern breeding programme, and have distinct proteins, promoters and expression patterns. These two major alleles show heterotic group partitioning, with one predominant in Pioneer's female and the other in the male heterotic groups, respectively. These two alleles also associate with favourable crop performance when heterozygous. Allele-specific transgene testing showed that, of the two alleles discussed here, each allele differed in their impact on yield and environmental interactions. Moreover, when transgenically stacked together the allelic pair showed yield and environmental performance advantages over either single allele, resembling heterosis effects. This work demonstrates differences in transgenic efficacy of native alleles and the differences reflect their association with hybrid breeding performance.

The taming of the neural crest: a developmental perspective on the origins of morphological covariation in domesticated mammals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sánchez-Villagra, Marcelo R.; Geiger, Madeleine; Schneider, Richard A.

2016-06-01

Studies on domestication are blooming, but the developmental bases for the generation of domestication traits and breed diversity remain largely unexplored. Some phenotypic patterns of human neurocristopathies are suggestive of those reported for domesticated mammals and disrupting neural crest developmental programmes have been argued to be the source of traits deemed the `domestication syndrome'. These character changes span multiple organ systems and morphological structures. But an in-depth examination within the phylogenetic framework of mammals including domesticated forms reveals that the distribution of such traits is not universal, with canids being the only group showing a large set of predicted features. Modularity of traits tied to phylogeny characterizes domesticated mammals: through selective breeding, individual behavioural and morphological traits can be reordered, truncated, augmented or deleted. Similarly, mammalian evolution on islands has resulted in suites of phenotypic changes like those of some domesticated forms. Many domesticated mammals can serve as valuable models for conducting comparative studies on the evolutionary developmental biology of the neural crest, given that series of their embryos are readily available and that their phylogenetic histories and genomes are well characterized.

International strategy for fusion materials development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ehrlich, Karl; Bloom, E. E.; Kondo, T.

2000-12-01

In this paper, the results of an IEA-Workshop on Strategy and Planning of Fusion Materials Research and Development (R&D), held in October 1998 in Risø Denmark are summarised and further developed. Essential performance targets for materials to be used in first wall/breeding blanket components have been defined for the major materials groups under discussion: ferritic-martensitic steels, vanadium alloys and ceramic composites of the SiC/SiC-type. R&D strategies are proposed for their further development and qualification as reactor-relevant materials. The important role of existing irradiation facilities (mainly fission reactors) for materials testing within the next decade is described, and the limits for the transfer of results from such simulation experiments to fusion-relevant conditions are addressed. The importance of a fusion-relevant high-intensity neutron source for the development of structural as well as breeding and special purpose materials is elaborated and the reasons for the selection of an accelerator-driven D-Li-neutron source - the International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility (IFMIF) - as an appropriate test bed are explained. Finally the necessity to execute the materials programme for fusion in close international collaboration, presently promoted by the International Energy Agency, IEA is emphasised.

The Impact of PERK on Posttraumatic Tauopathy in Alzheimer’s Disease

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-10-01

Complete imaging analyses (this work is completed continuously as injuries are performed) AIM2 4. Establish mouse cohorts for Aim 2 • rTg4510 transgenic ...animals to age to appropriate breeding age before we can perform any experiments. Changes that had a significant impact on expenditures No changes that

Disease burden in four populations of dog and cat breeds compared to mixed-breed dogs and European shorthair cats.

PubMed

Keijser, S F A; Meijndert, L E; Fieten, H; Carrière, B J; van Steenbeek, F G; Leegwater, P A J; Rothuizen, J; Nielen, M

2017-05-01

Current public and professional opinion is that many dog breeds suffer from health issues related to inherited diseases or extreme phenotypes. The aim of this historical comparative observational study was to evaluate the breed-related disease burden in three purebred dog populations (Chihuahua, French bulldog, Labrador retriever) and one purebred cat breed (Persian cats) in the Netherlands by comparison to a control population of mixed-breed dogs and European Shorthair cats. A qualitative query was performed, consisting of a literature review and collecting the expert opinions of University veterinary specialists, to gather insight into potential diseases of the study population. Next, a referral clinic case control study of the patients referred to specific medical disciplines in the University Clinic was performed. The odds ratio (OR) was calculated to determine the likelihood of a patient referred to a particular medical discipline being a certain breed. Together, the qualitative query and the case control study resulted in a list of potentially relevant diseases limited to five organ systems per breed. These were analysed in data from primary practices. Patient files from ten primary practices over a period of two years were manually extracted and examined. Four-hundred individual patient records per breed as well as 1000 non-breed records were randomly selected from the 10 practices, weighted per practice size. Records were then examined and the presence or absence of certain diseases was identified. To evaluate the disease burden per breed, proportional difference (PD) was estimated, as well as the animal's age at presentation in months. The results of the referral clinic case control study showed an overrepresentation (Odds Ratio>1.5) of the selected breeds in several medical specialties, while median age at presentation was in some cases significantly lower than in the non-breed animals. Results of the practice-based extended cross-sectional study showed that only a few of the selected diseases contribute to the disease burden in these purebred populations, which was different from the expectations derived from the literature or expert opinion. Additional results included age difference at presentation, which may be interpreted as age of onset, and could indicate a higher disease burden for the individual animal. Also, only a small percentage of purebred dogs was registered with the national kennel club. Our final recommendation is that population-based data mining is needed to evaluate country-specific companion animal health and welfare. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

PRT: A Suitable Transport System for Urban Areas in Sweden

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-03-18

This report summarizes a thematic research programme "Advanced transit systems" performed at Chalmers University ofTechnology during the years 1994-97. The programme aims to investigate if Personal R apid Transit (PRT) may be a suitable system for ur...

Improving Numeracy and Literacy: Evaluation Report and Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Worth, Jack; Sizmur, Juliet; Ager, Rob; Styles, Ben

2015-01-01

The project, "Oxford Improving Numeracy and Literacy Programme," was delivered by Oxford University Department of Education. This evaluation tested two different initiatives with Year 2 children: "Mathematics and Reasoning" and "Literacy and Morphemes." The "Mathematics and Reasoning" programme aimed to…

Genotyping-by-sequencing-based genome-wide association studies on Verticillium wilt resistance in autotetraploid alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.).

PubMed

Yu, Long-Xi; Zheng, Ping; Zhang, Tiejun; Rodringuez, Jonas; Main, Dorrie

2017-02-01

Verticillium wilt (VW) is a fungal disease that causes severe yield losses in alfalfa. The most effective method to control the disease is through the development and use of resistant varieties. The identification of marker loci linked to VW resistance can facilitate breeding for disease-resistant alfalfa. In the present investigation, we applied an integrated framework of genome-wide association with genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) to identify VW resistance loci in a panel of elite alfalfa breeding lines. Phenotyping was performed by manual inoculation of the pathogen to healthy seedlings, and scoring for disease resistance was carried out according to the standard test of the North America Alfalfa Improvement Conference (NAAIC). Marker-trait association by linkage disequilibrium identified 10 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers significantly associated with VW resistance. Alignment of the SNP marker sequences to the M. truncatula genome revealed multiple quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Three, two, one and five markers were located on chromosomes 5, 6, 7 and 8, respectively. Resistance loci found on chromosomes 7 and 8 in the present study co-localized with the QTLs reported previously. A pairwise alignment (blastn) using the flanking sequences of the resistance loci against the M. truncatula genome identified potential candidate genes with putative disease resistance function. With further investigation, these markers may be implemented into breeding programmes using marker-assisted selection, ultimately leading to improved VW resistance in alfalfa. PUBLISHED 2016. THIS ARTICLE IS A U.S. GOVERNMENT WORK AND IS IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE USA.

Goat farming systems in Martinique: management and breeding strategies.

PubMed

Alexandre, G; Leimbacher, F; Maurice, O; Domarin, D; Naves, M; Mandonnet, N

2009-04-01

To be successful, initiatives to improve farmer's goat production should directly address the needs and objectives of the keepers while promoting rational use of local genetic resources. A survey was carried out to implement a genetic policy governing meat goat farming in Martinique (11,400 heads and 33,400 ha arable land). The questionnaire comprised a total of 27 items with 306 modalities, and included questions on farm structure, crop and animal productions, management of feeding, reproduction and health control. The sample consisted of 33 farmers with 644 ha and 2,680 goats (1,286 does and 52 bucks), 97% of does in the studied sample were crossbred, 56% of bucks were" imported" breeds (Boer or Anglo-Nubian). The number of goats per farm varied from 16 to 582. The feeding system was predominantly grazing, according to a rotation (55% of cases) or continuous grazing system (42%). On 62% of farms, the males remained with the females permanently, also 83% of farmers did not resort to methods of controlled-mating. The first criteria used for choosing animals (80 to 90% of answers) of both sex, were development and conformation. Assuming that adaptive together with productive traits are important in tropical zones, it is advisable to better define the maternal lineage of the local livestock (presently very sparse records), to improve reproduction management and culling strategies (poor and inadequate management practices do not support any genetic improvement programme), and to guide the farmers in their decisions by employing concerted interprofessional actions (choice of meat breed, market studies).

Conservation of a domestic metapopulation structured into related and partly admixed strains.

PubMed

Ramljak, Jelena; Bunevski, Gjoko; Bytyqi, Hysen; Marković, Božidarka; Brka, Muhamed; Ivanković, Ante; Kume, Kristaq; Stojanović, Srđan; Nikolov, Vasil; Simčič, Mojca; Sölkner, Johann; Kunz, Elisabeth; Rothammer, Sophie; Seichter, Doris; Grünenfelder, Hans-Peter; Broxham, Elli T; Kugler, Waltraud; Medugorac, Ivica

2018-04-01

Preservation of genetic diversity is one of the most pressing challenges in the planetary boundaries concept. Within this context, we focused on genetic diversity in a native, unselected and highly admixed domesticated metapopulation. A set of 1,828 individuals from 60 different cattle breeds was analysed using a medium density SNP chip. Among these breeds, 14 Buša strains formed a metapopulation represented by 350 individuals, while the remaining 46 breeds represented the global cattle population. Genetic analyses showed that the scarcely selected and less differentiated Buša metapopulation contributed a substantial proportion (52.6%) of the neutral allelic diversity to this global taurine population. Consequently, there is an urgent need for synchronized maintenance of this highly fragmented domestic metapopulation, which is distributed over several countries without sophisticated infrastructure and highly endangered by continuous replacement crossing as part of the global genetic homogenization process. This study collected and evaluated samples, data and genomewide information and developed genome-assisted cross-border conservation concepts. To detect and maintain genetic integrity of the metapopulation strains, we designed and applied a composite test that combines six metrics based on additive genetic relationships, a nearest neighbour graph and the distribution of semiprivate alleles. Each metric provides distinct information components about past admixture events and offers an objective and powerful tool for the detection of admixed outliers. The here developed conservation methods and presented experiences could easily be adapted to comparable conservation programmes of domesticated or other metapopulations bred and kept in captivity or under some other sort of human control. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The broiler breeder paradox: ethical, genetic and physiological perspectives, and suggestions for solutions.

PubMed

Decuypere, E; Bruggeman, V; Everaert, N; Li, Yue; Boonen, R; De Tavernier, J; Janssens, S; Buys, N

2010-10-01

1. Due to intensive selection, broiler chickens became the most efficient meat-producing animals because of their fast growth, supported by a virtually unlimited voluntary feed intake. These characteristics cause many problems in the management of broiler breeder hens because of the negative correlation between muscle growth and reproduction effectiveness. 2. This problem, namely the fast muscle growth versus reproduction health paradox, induces a second paradox, acceptable reproduction and health versus hunger stress and impaired welfare, because broiler breeder hens require dedicated programmes of feed restriction (1) to maximise egg and chick production and (2) to avoid metabolic disorders and mortality in broiler breeders. 3. Given that poultry selection is a global large-scale business and chickens are a prolific species, improvement in profit can only be obtained by selecting on feed conversion and/or for higher breast meat percentage, which will intensify the broiler-breeder paradox. 4. New feeding strategies are being studied, but it is questionable if the paradox can be solved by management tools alone. Because breeding and selection are long-term processes, involving animals, farmers, consumers, industry, environment etc., a more sustainable breeding goal needs to be determined by a multidisciplinary approach and an open debate between several actors in the discussion. 5. Using dwarf broiler breeder hens could be one alternative, because dwarf hens combine relatively good reproductive fitness with ad libitum feeding. Another possibility is to accept lower broiler productivity by assigning economic values to welfare and including integrity traits in an extended breeding goal.

Review of the bioenvironmental methods for malaria control with special reference to the use of larvivorous fishes and composite fish culture in central Gujarat, India.

PubMed

Kant, Rajni; Haq, S; Srivastava, H C; Sharma, V P

2013-03-01

Mosquito control with the use of insecticides is faced with the challenges of insecticide resistance in disease vectors, community refusal, their high cost, operational difficulties, and environmental concern. In view of this, integrated vector control strategies with the use of larvivorous fishes such as Guppy (Poecilia reticulata) and Gambusia (G. affinis) as biological control agents were used in controlling mosquito breeding in different types of breeding places such as intradomestic containers, various types of wells, rice-fields, pools, ponds and elsewhere in malaria prone rural areas of central Gujarat. Attempts were also made to demonstrate composite fish culture in unused abandoned village ponds by culturing Guppy along with the food fishes such as Rohu (Labeo rohita), Catla (Catla catla) and Mrigal (Cirrhinus mrigala). Income generated from these ponds through sale of fishes was utilized for mosquito control and village development. The technology was later adopted by the villagers themselves and food fish culture was practised in 23 ponds which generated an income of Rs 1,02,50,992 between 1985 and 2008. The number of villages increased from 13 to 23 in 2008 and there was also gradual increase of income from Rs 3,66,245 in 1985-90 to Rs 55,06,127 in 2002-08 block. It is concluded that larvivorous fishes can be useful tool in controlling mosquito breeding in certain situations and their use along with composite fish culture may also generate income to make the programme self-sustainable.

Isolation and characterization of 23 polymorphic microsatellite loci for a West Indian iguana (Cyclura pinguis) from the British Virgin Islands.

PubMed

Lau, Jennie; Alberts, Allison C; Chemnick, Leona G; Gerber, Glenn P; Jones, Kenneth C; Mitchell, Adele A; Ryder, Oliver A

2009-09-01

Twenty-three polymorphic microsatellite markers were identified and characterized for Cyclura pinguis, a critically endangered species of lizard (Sauria: Iguanidae) native to Anegada Island in the British Virgin Islands. We examined variation at these loci for 39 C. pinguis, finding up to five alleles per locus and an average expected heterozygosity of 0.55. Allele frequency estimates for these microsatellite loci will be used to characterize genetic diversity of captive and wild C. pinguis populations and to estimate relatedness among adult iguanas at the San Diego Zoo that form the nucleus of a captive breeding programme for this critically endangered species. © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Variability in mesophyll conductance between barley genotypes, and effects on transpiration efficiency and carbon isotope discrimination.

PubMed

Barbour, Margaret M; Warren, Charles R; Farquhar, Graham D; Forrester, Guy; Brown, Hamish

2010-07-01

Leaf internal, or mesophyll, conductance to CO(2) (g(m)) is a significant and variable limitation of photosynthesis that also affects leaf transpiration efficiency (TE). Genotypic variation in g(m) and the effect of g(m) on TE were assessed in six barley genotypes (four Hordeum vulgare and two H. bulbosum). Significant variation in g(m) was found between genotypes, and was correlated with photosynthetic rate. The genotype with the highest g(m) also had the highest TE and the lowest carbon isotope discrimination as recorded in leaf tissue (Delta(p)). These results suggest g(m) has unexplored potential to provide TE improvement within crop breeding programmes.

Education for Disability Equality through Disabled People's Life Stories and Narratives: Working and Learning Together in a School-Based Professional Development Programme for Inclusion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chrysostomou, Marianna; Symeonidou, Simoni

2017-01-01

This paper reports on the findings of an action research project that took place in a primary school in Cyprus. A professional development programme was devised with contributions from teachers involved in the research. The programme was aimed at helping teachers to map the difficulties they encounter when working with their students on…

Planning and implementing a nationwide football-based health-education programme.

PubMed

Dvorak, Jiri; Fuller, Colin W; Junge, Astrid

2012-01-01

Communicable and non-communicable diseases place enormous social and economic burdens on developed and developing countries. Health education leading to changes in people's attitudes and behaviours remains the best approach for reducing the problem of communicable diseases while there is evidence that programmes providing regular physical exercise and advocating a controlled diet can reduce the prevalence of many non-communicable diseases. Hence, the delivery of health education and physical activity within a single coherent programme offers great potential for simultaneously addressing both health issues. Since 2006, FIFA has developed and tested a novel football-based health-education programme for children entitled '11 for Health', which is aimed at increasing children's levels of physical activity while also delivering 11 simple health messages. When new interventions of this type are published in the scientific literature, it is often not possible to describe important background information about the project that could assist other researchers in developing and implementing similar programmes. This paper attempts to bridge this gap by describing the aims and objectives, organisation, planning, implementation and monitoring requirements needed to deliver FIFA's '11 for Health' programme, first as a pilot project and subsequently as a nationwide project, through a tripartite arrangement between FIFA, the national Football Association and the Government Ministries in Mauritius.

Planning and implementing a nationwide football-based health-education programme

PubMed Central

Dvorak, Jiri; Fuller, Colin W; Junge, Astrid

2012-01-01

Communicable and non-communicable diseases place enormous social and economic burdens on developed and developing countries. Health education leading to changes in people's attitudes and behaviours remains the best approach for reducing the problem of communicable diseases while there is evidence that programmes providing regular physical exercise and advocating a controlled diet can reduce the prevalence of many non-communicable diseases. Hence, the delivery of health education and physical activity within a single coherent programme offers great potential for simultaneously addressing both health issues. Since 2006, FIFA has developed and tested a novel football-based health-education programme for children entitled ‘11 for Health’, which is aimed at increasing children's levels of physical activity while also delivering 11 simple health messages. When new interventions of this type are published in the scientific literature, it is often not possible to describe important background information about the project that could assist other researchers in developing and implementing similar programmes. This paper attempts to bridge this gap by describing the aims and objectives, organisation, planning, implementation and monitoring requirements needed to deliver FIFA's ‘11 for Health’ programme, first as a pilot project and subsequently as a nationwide project, through a tripartite arrangement between FIFA, the national Football Association and the Government Ministries in Mauritius. PMID:22144002

Effects of two educational programmes aimed at improving the utilization of non-opioid analgesics in family medicine clinics in Mexico.

PubMed

Doubova, Svetlana Vladislavovna; Mino-León, Dolores; Reyes-Morales, Hortensia; Flores-Hernandez, Sergio; Torres-Arreola, Laura del Pilar; Pérez-Cuevas, Ricardo

2010-08-01

To develop and test two educational programmes (interactive and passive) aimed at improving family doctors' (FD) prescribing practices and patient's knowledge and use of non-opioid analgesics (NOA). The educational programmes were conducted in two family medicine clinics by using a three-stage approach: baseline evaluation, design, and implementation of educational activities, and post-programme evaluation. An interactive educational programme (IEP) was compared with a passive educational programme (PEP); both were participated by FDs and patients. The IEP for FDs comprised of workshops, discussion groups, in-service training and guidelines, while for patients the IEP consisted of an interactive session with a video, leaflets and a discussion. The PEP consisted in delivering the guidelines to the FDs and the leaflets to patients. The effect of the programmes on the FDs was measured through the appropriateness of prescriptions and analysed using the differences-in-differences estimator (D-in-D), and on patients through changes in self-medication and in their knowledge about the proper use and adverse events by analysing the inter- and intra-group differences before and after the programmes. The IEP obtained better results to improve appropriate FDs prescription of NOA than PEP (D-in-D = 15%). Regarding the patients, the PEP group reached higher reduction of self-medication than the IEP group (13.4% vs. 9.1%); the knowledge of proper NOA use increased by 8.5% in both groups, whereas knowledge of NOA-related adverse events was better in the IEP (39.6%) than in the PEP group (9.2%). The IEP was better to improve the doctors' abilities to prescribe NOAs, and both programmes improved patients' knowledge.

Evaluation of the impact on human salmonellosis of control measures targeted to Salmonella Enteritidis and Typhimurium in poultry breeding using time-series analysis and intervention models in France

PubMed Central

POIRIER, E.; WATIER, L.; ESPIE, E.; WEILL, F.-X.; VALK, H. DE; DESENCLOS, J.-C.

2008-01-01

SUMMARY In France, salmonellosis is the main cause of foodborne bacterial infection with serotypes Enteritis (SE) and Typhimurium (ST) accounting for 70% of all cases. French authorities implemented a national control programme targeting SE and ST in poultry and eggs from October 1998 onwards. A 33% decrease in salmonellosis has been observed since implementation. We designed an evaluation of the impact of this control programme on SE and ST human infections in France. Using monthly Salmonella human isolate reports to the National Reference Centre we defined two intervention series (SE and ST) and one control series comprising serotypes not know to be associated with poultry or eggs. The series, from 1992 to 2003, were analysed using autoregressive moving average models (ARMA). To test the hypothesis of a reduction of SE and ST human cases >0 after the programme started and to estimate its size, we introduced an intervention model to the ARMA modelling. In contrast to the control series, we found an annual reduction of 555 (95% CI 148–964) SE and of 492 (95% CI 0–1092) ST human infections, representing respectively a 21% and 18% decrease. For SE, the decrease occurred sharply after implementation while for ST, it followed a progressive decrease that started early in 1998. Our study, suggests a true relation between the Salmonella control programme and the subsequent decrease observed for the two targeted serotypes. For ST, however, the decrease prior to the intervention may also reflect control measures implemented earlier by the cattle and milk industry. PMID:18047748

Restoring integrity—A grounded theory of coping with a fast track surgery programme

PubMed Central

Jørgensen, Lene Bastrup; Fridlund, Bengt

2016-01-01

Aims and objectives The aim of this study was to generate a theory conceptualizing and explaining behavioural processes involved in coping in order to identify the predominant coping types and coping type-specific features. Background Patients undergoing fast track procedures do not experience a higher risk of complications, readmission, or mortality. However, such programmes presuppose an increasing degree of patient involvement, placing high educational, physical, and mental demands on the patients. There is a lack of knowledge about how patients understand and cope with fast track programmes. Design The study design used classical grounded theory. Methods The study used a multimodal approach with qualitative and quantitative data sets from 14 patients. Results Four predominant types of coping, with distinct physiological, cognitive, affective, and psychosocial features, existed among patients going through a fast track total hip replacement programme. These patients’ main concern was to restore their physical and psychosocial integrity, which had been compromised by reduced function and mobility in daily life. To restore integrity they economized their mental resources, while striving to fulfil the expectations of the fast track programme. This goal was achieved by being mentally proactive and physically active. Three out of the four predominant types of coping matched the expectations expressed in the fast track programme. The non-matching behaviour was seen among the most nervous patients, who claimed the right to diverge from the programme. Conclusion In theory, four predominant types of coping with distinct physiological, cognitive, affective, and psychosocial features occur among patients going through a fast track total hip arthroplasty programme. PMID:26751199

Management of organisational changes in a case of de-institutionalisation.

PubMed

Parlalis, Stavros K

2011-01-01

This paper seeks to explore the development of a discharge programme in one learning disability hospital in Scotland. The study aims to concentrate on organisational developmental changes in that institution. The model of the management during the discharge programme was investigated. The aim of the study is to explore how the discharge programme developed, as seen under the lens of organisational change, in order to find out what kind of model of management is more suitable in similar programmes. A case study was employed. Data were collected by means of interviews. The interviews followed a structured format. The sample of the study had to be a purposive sample and the method of snowball sampling was used; finally, 28 interviews were conducted. A grounded approach was adopted for the data analysis. The software program QSR "NUD*IST" (version "N6") was used as a technical tool, in order to facilitate the data analysis. The findings of this study show that various management models were adopted in the four phases of the discharge programme. These different models represent a "quest" by the institution's management regarding the most appropriate model for managing the discharge programme. This study shows that this goes on continuously in organisations under transition until they settle down to a more permanent state. It was concluded that management models, which are composed of characteristics from the organic theory of organisational management, could apply in discharge programmes. The data gathered enabled the researcher to arrive at a model of management which is suitable for managing organisational changes in discharge programmes, the named "stakeholder management model".

An Update on Genetic Modification of Chickpea for Increased Yield and Stress Tolerance.

PubMed

Kumar, Manoj; Yusuf, Mohd Aslam; Nigam, Manisha; Kumar, Manoj

2018-06-26

Chickpea is a highly nutritious grain legume crop, widely appreciated as a health food, especially in the Indian subcontinent. The major constraints on chickpea production are biotic (Helicoverpa, bruchid, aphid, ascochyta) and abiotic (drought, heat, salt, cold) stresses, which reduce the yield by up to 90%. Various strategies like conventional breeding, molecular breeding, and modern plant breeding have been used to overcome these problems. Conventionally, breeding programs aim at development of varieties that combine maximum number of traits through inter-specific hybridization, wide hybridization, and hybridization involving more than two parents. Breeding is difficult in this crop because of its self-pollinating nature and limited genetic variation. Recent advances in in vitro culture and gene technologies offer unique opportunities to realize the full potential of chickpea production. However, as of date, no transgenic chickpea variety has been approved for cultivation in the world. In this review, we provide an update on the development of genetically modified chickpea plants, including those resistant to Helicoverpa armigera, Callosobruchus maculatus, Aphis craccivora, as well as to drought and salt stress. The genes utilized for development of resistance against pod borer, bruchid, aphid, drought, and salt tolerance, namely, Bt, alpha amylase inhibitor, ASAL, P5CSF129A, and P5CS, respectively, are discussed.

Characterization and Comparative Analysis of the Milk Transcriptome in Two Dairy Sheep Breeds using RNA Sequencing.

PubMed

Suárez-Vega, Aroa; Gutiérrez-Gil, Beatriz; Klopp, Christophe; Robert-Granie, Christèle; Tosser-Klopp, Gwenola; Arranz, Juan José

2015-12-18

This study presents a dynamic characterization of the sheep milk transcriptome aiming at achieving a better understanding of the sheep lactating mammary gland. Transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed on total RNA extracted from milk somatic cells from ewes on days 10, 50, 120 and 150 after lambing. The experiment was performed in Spanish Churra and Assaf breeds, which differ in their milk production traits. Nearly 67% of the annotated genes in the reference genome (Oar_v3.1) were expressed in ovine milk somatic cells. For the two breeds and across the four lactation stages studied, the most highly expressed genes encoded caseins and whey proteins. We detected 573 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) across lactation points, with the largest differences being found, between day 10 and day 150. Upregulated GO terms at late lactation stages were linked mainly to developmental processes linked to extracellular matrix remodeling. A total of 256 annotated DEGs were detected in the Assaf and Churra comparison. Some genes selectively upregulated in the Churra breed grouped under the endopeptidase and channel activity GO terms. These genes could be related to the higher cheese yield of this breed. Overall, this study provides the first integrated overview on sheep milk gene expression.

Non-invasive monitoring of reproductive and stress hormones in the endangered red panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens).

PubMed

Beaulah Budithi, Neema Raja; Kumar, Vinod; Yalla, Suneel Kumar; Rai, Upashna; Umapathy, Govindhaswamy

2016-09-01

The red panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens) is classified as endangered due to its declining population, habitat fragmentation and poaching. Efforts are being made to breed them in captivity as part of nationwide conservation breeding program. This study aimed to standardize Enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) to monitor reproductive (Progesterone metabolite, Testosterone) and stress hormone (Cortisol) in red panda. For this purpose, we collected 1471 faecal samples from four females and one male over a period of one year from Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, Darjeeling, India. HPLC confirmed the presence of immunoreactive 5α-pregnan-3α-ol-20-one, testosterone and cortisol metabolites in faecal samples. Using 5α-pregnan-3α-ol-20-one EIA, we were able to monitor reproduction and detect pregnancy in one of the females, which successfully conceived and delivered during the study period. We were also able to monitor testosterone and cortisol in faecal samples of the red panda. Faecal testosterone levels were found in higher concentration in breeding season than in non-breeding season. Faecal cortisol concentrations showed a negative relationship with ambient temperature and peaked during winter months in all animals. Standardization of EIAs and faecal hormone monitoring would facilitate red panda conservation breeding programs in India and elsewhere. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A survey analysis of indigenous goat production in communal farming systems of Botswana.

PubMed

Monau, P I; Visser, C; Nsoso, S J; Van Marle-Köster, E

2017-08-01

A total of 153 communal farmers in four agro-ecological regions of Botswana were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The aims of the survey were to characterise existing communal goat production systems, evaluate the importance of goats to farmers and identify breeding practices and constraints encountered in goat production in Botswana. Data was collected on socio-economic parameters, general and breeding management practices and major constraints limiting goat production in Botswana. All respondents were small-scale communal farmers with 63% respondents practising mixed crop-livestock farming and 37% keeping livestock as their primary activity. The majority (33%) of respondents were older than 60 years. Over 80% of the farmers kept goats for cash required for tuition, school uniforms and household commodities as well as re-stocking of animals. Most farmers (62%) kept indigenous crossed genotypes. Generally, uncontrolled mating was practised with the majority of farmers (41%) using on-farm reared bucks for more than two years of breeding and communal bucks (36%) as an alternative. The major constraints limiting goat productivity in communal areas included uncontrolled breeding, predators, theft and diseases. Issues raised by farmers should be considered in designing and implementing effective breeding programs for goats to improve their overall productivity and contribution to poverty alleviation in these communities.

Impact of strong selection for the PrP major gene on genetic variability of four French sheep breeds (Open Access publication)

PubMed Central

Palhiere, Isabelle; Brochard, Mickaël; Moazami-Goudarzi, Katayoun; Laloë, Denis; Amigues, Yves; Bed'hom, Bertrand; Neuts, Étienne; Leymarie, Cyril; Pantano, Thais; Cribiu, Edmond Paul; Bibé, Bernard; Verrier, Étienne

2008-01-01

Effective selection on the PrP gene has been implemented since October 2001 in all French sheep breeds. After four years, the ARR "resistant" allele frequency increased by about 35% in young males. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of this strong selection on genetic variability. It is focussed on four French sheep breeds and based on the comparison of two groups of 94 animals within each breed: the first group of animals was born before the selection began, and the second, 3–4 years later. Genetic variability was assessed using genealogical and molecular data (29 microsatellite markers). The expected loss of genetic variability on the PrP gene was confirmed. Moreover, among the five markers located in the PrP region, only the three closest ones were affected. The evolution of the number of alleles, heterozygote deficiency within population, expected heterozygosity and the Reynolds distances agreed with the criteria from pedigree and pointed out that neutral genetic variability was not much affected. This trend depended on breed, i.e. on their initial states (population size, PrP frequencies) and on the selection strategies for improving scrapie resistance while carrying out selection for production traits. PMID:18990357

Characterization and Comparative Analysis of the Milk Transcriptome in Two Dairy Sheep Breeds using RNA Sequencing

PubMed Central

Suárez-Vega, Aroa; Gutiérrez-Gil, Beatriz; Klopp, Christophe; Robert-Granie, Christèle; Tosser-Klopp, Gwenola; Arranz, Juan José

2015-01-01

This study presents a dynamic characterization of the sheep milk transcriptome aiming at achieving a better understanding of the sheep lactating mammary gland. Transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed on total RNA extracted from milk somatic cells from ewes on days 10, 50, 120 and 150 after lambing. The experiment was performed in Spanish Churra and Assaf breeds, which differ in their milk production traits. Nearly 67% of the annotated genes in the reference genome (Oar_v3.1) were expressed in ovine milk somatic cells. For the two breeds and across the four lactation stages studied, the most highly expressed genes encoded caseins and whey proteins. We detected 573 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) across lactation points, with the largest differences being found, between day 10 and day 150. Upregulated GO terms at late lactation stages were linked mainly to developmental processes linked to extracellular matrix remodeling. A total of 256 annotated DEGs were detected in the Assaf and Churra comparison. Some genes selectively upregulated in the Churra breed grouped under the endopeptidase and channel activity GO terms. These genes could be related to the higher cheese yield of this breed. Overall, this study provides the first integrated overview on sheep milk gene expression. PMID:26677795

M-mode and two-dimensional echocardiographic reference values for three Hungarian dog breeds: Hungarian Vizsla, Mudi and Hungarian Greyhound.

PubMed

Vörös, Károly; Hetyey, Csaba; Reiczigel, Jeno; Czirok, Gábor Nagy

2009-06-01

The aim of the study was to establish normal reference echocardiographic values for three Hungarian dog breeds, and to determine the potential dependence of intracardiac parameters on body weight, age and gender. M-mode and two-dimensional echocardiography were performed on 95 clinically healthy dogs including 45 Hungarian Vizslas, 28 Mudis and 22 Hungarian Greyhounds. Linear intracardiac measurements included interventricular septal thickness (IVS), left ventricular internal diameter (LVID), left ventricular posterior wall thickness (LVPW) both in systole and diastole, as well as left atrial internal diameter (LAD), and aortic diameter (AOD) in early diastole. Fractional shortening (FS), end-diastolic and end-systolic left ventricular volumes (EDV and ESV), as well as LAD:AOD ratio were calculated from the linear parameters. Mean, range and standard deviation of measurements were calculated for each breed. Body weight positively correlated in all three breeds with all left ventricular dimensions, such as IVS d , IVS s , LVID d , LVIDD s , LVPW d and LVPW s parameters. LA values showed positive correlations to body weight in all three breeds. AOD and LA demonstrated a positive correlation with body weight in Hungarian Vizslas and Mudis, whilst the LAD:AOD ratio was related to body weight only in Mudis. Gender did not correlate with any of the measured echocardiographic parameters in any breeds. In Mudis, a positive correlation was found between the LAD: AOD ratio and age, as well as between the LAD: AOD ratio and E point to septal separation (EPSS).

Genomic Prediction of Seed Quality Traits Using Advanced Barley Breeding Lines.

PubMed

Nielsen, Nanna Hellum; Jahoor, Ahmed; Jensen, Jens Due; Orabi, Jihad; Cericola, Fabio; Edriss, Vahid; Jensen, Just

2016-01-01

Genomic selection was recently introduced in plant breeding. The objective of this study was to develop genomic prediction for important seed quality parameters in spring barley. The aim was to predict breeding values without expensive phenotyping of large sets of lines. A total number of 309 advanced spring barley lines tested at two locations each with three replicates were phenotyped and each line was genotyped by Illumina iSelect 9Kbarley chip. The population originated from two different breeding sets, which were phenotyped in two different years. Phenotypic measurements considered were: seed size, protein content, protein yield, test weight and ergosterol content. A leave-one-out cross-validation strategy revealed high prediction accuracies ranging between 0.40 and 0.83. Prediction across breeding sets resulted in reduced accuracies compared to the leave-one-out strategy. Furthermore, predicting across full and half-sib-families resulted in reduced prediction accuracies. Additionally, predictions were performed using reduced marker sets and reduced training population sets. In conclusion, using less than 200 lines in the training set can result in low prediction accuracy, and the accuracy will then be highly dependent on the family structure of the selected training set. However, the results also indicate that relatively small training sets (200 lines) are sufficient for genomic prediction in commercial barley breeding. In addition, our results indicate a minimum marker set of 1,000 to decrease the risk of low prediction accuracy for some traits or some families.

Genomic Prediction of Seed Quality Traits Using Advanced Barley Breeding Lines

PubMed Central

Nielsen, Nanna Hellum; Jahoor, Ahmed; Jensen, Jens Due; Orabi, Jihad; Cericola, Fabio; Edriss, Vahid; Jensen, Just

2016-01-01

Genomic selection was recently introduced in plant breeding. The objective of this study was to develop genomic prediction for important seed quality parameters in spring barley. The aim was to predict breeding values without expensive phenotyping of large sets of lines. A total number of 309 advanced spring barley lines tested at two locations each with three replicates were phenotyped and each line was genotyped by Illumina iSelect 9Kbarley chip. The population originated from two different breeding sets, which were phenotyped in two different years. Phenotypic measurements considered were: seed size, protein content, protein yield, test weight and ergosterol content. A leave-one-out cross-validation strategy revealed high prediction accuracies ranging between 0.40 and 0.83. Prediction across breeding sets resulted in reduced accuracies compared to the leave-one-out strategy. Furthermore, predicting across full and half-sib-families resulted in reduced prediction accuracies. Additionally, predictions were performed using reduced marker sets and reduced training population sets. In conclusion, using less than 200 lines in the training set can result in low prediction accuracy, and the accuracy will then be highly dependent on the family structure of the selected training set. However, the results also indicate that relatively small training sets (200 lines) are sufficient for genomic prediction in commercial barley breeding. In addition, our results indicate a minimum marker set of 1,000 to decrease the risk of low prediction accuracy for some traits or some families. PMID:27783639

Altitude, pasture type, and sheep breed affect bone metabolism and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D in grazing lambs.

PubMed

Willems, Helen; Leiber, Florian; Kohler, Martina; Kreuzer, Michael; Liesegang, Annette

2013-05-15

This study aimed to investigate the bone development of two mountain sheep breeds during natural summer grazing either in the lowlands or on different characteristic alpine pastures. Pasture types differed in topographic slope, plant species composition, general nutritional feeding value, Ca and P content, and Ca:P ratio of herbage. Twenty-seven Engadine sheep (ES) lambs and 27 Valaisian Black Nose sheep (VS) lambs were divided into four groups of 6 to 7 animals per breed and allocated to three contrasting alpine pasture types and one lowland pasture type. The lambs were slaughtered after 9 wk of experimental grazing. The steep alpine pastures in combination with a high (4.8) to very high (13.6) Ca:P ratio in the forage decreased total bone mineral content as measured in the middle of the left metatarsus of the lambs from both breeds, and cortical bone mineral content and cortical bone mineral density of ES lambs. Breed × pasture type interactions occurred in the development of total and cortical bone mineral content, and in cortical thickness, indicating that bone metabolism of different genotypes obviously profited differently from the varying conditions. An altitude effect occurred for 25-hydroxyvitamin D with notably higher serum concentrations on the three alpine sites, and a breed effect led to higher concentrations for ES than VS. Despite a high variance, there were pasture-type effects on serum markers of bone formation and resorption.

Genetic tests for estimating dairy breed proportion and parentage assignment in East African crossbred cattle.

PubMed

Strucken, Eva M; Al-Mamun, Hawlader A; Esquivelzeta-Rabell, Cecilia; Gondro, Cedric; Mwai, Okeyo A; Gibson, John P

2017-09-12

Smallholder dairy farming in much of the developing world is based on the use of crossbred cows that combine local adaptation traits of indigenous breeds with high milk yield potential of exotic dairy breeds. Pedigree recording is rare in such systems which means that it is impossible to make informed breeding decisions. High-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assays allow accurate estimation of breed composition and parentage assignment but are too expensive for routine application. Our aim was to determine the level of accuracy achieved with low-density SNP assays. We constructed subsets of 100 to 1500 SNPs from the 735k-SNP Illumina panel by selecting: (a) on high minor allele frequencies (MAF) in a crossbred population; (b) on large differences in allele frequency between ancestral breeds; (c) at random; or (d) with a differential evolution algorithm. These panels were tested on a dataset of 1933 crossbred dairy cattle from Kenya/Uganda and on crossbred populations from Ethiopia (N = 545) and Tanzania (N = 462). Dairy breed proportions were estimated by using the ADMIXTURE program, a regression approach, and SNP-best linear unbiased prediction, and tested against estimates obtained by ADMIXTURE based on the 735k-SNP panel. Performance for parentage assignment was based on opposing homozygotes which were used to calculate the separation value (sv) between true and false assignments. Panels of SNPs based on the largest differences in allele frequency between European dairy breeds and a combined Nelore/N'Dama population gave the best predictions of dairy breed proportion (r 2  = 0.962 to 0.994 for 100 to 1500 SNPs) with an average absolute bias of 0.026. Panels of SNPs based on the highest MAF in the crossbred population (Kenya/Uganda) gave the most accurate parentage assignments (sv = -1 to 15 for 100 to 1500 SNPs). Due to the different required properties of SNPs, panels that did well for breed composition did poorly for parentage assignment and vice versa. A combined panel of 400 SNPs was not able to assign parentages correctly, thus we recommend the use of 200 SNPs either for breed proportion prediction or parentage assignment, independently.

A genetic algorithm application in backcross breeding problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carnia, E.; Napitupulu, H.; Supriatna, A. K.

2018-03-01

In this paper we discuss a mathematical model of goat breeding strategy, i.e. the backcrossing breeding. The model is aimed to obtain a strategy in producing better variant of species. In this strategy, a female (doe) of a lesser quality goat, in terms of goat quality is bred with a male (buck) of an exotic goat which has a better goat quality. In this paper we will explore a problem on how to harvest the population optimally. A genetic algorithm (GA) approach will been devised to obtain the solution of the problem. We do several trials of the GA implementation which gives different set of solutions, but relatively close to each other in terms of the resulting total revenue, except a few. Further study need to be done to obtain GA solution that closer to the exact solution.

A prospective study on canine atopic dermatitis and food-induced allergic dermatitis in Switzerland.

PubMed

Picco, F; Zini, E; Nett, C; Naegeli, C; Bigler, B; Rüfenacht, S; Roosje, P; Gutzwiller, M E Ricklin; Wilhelm, S; Pfister, J; Meng, E; Favrot, C

2008-06-01

Canine atopic dermatitis sensu stricto and food-induced allergic dermatitis are common canine skin conditions, which are often considered clinically undistinguishable. Several attempts have been made to describe populations of atopic dogs and determine breed predisposition but the results were often biased by the use of hospital populations as control group. The present study aims to describe a population of Swiss atopic and food-allergic dogs and to compare it with a data set representing more than 85% of all Swiss dogs. The study, which was carried out during 1 year in several practices and teaching hospital in Switzerland, describes a group of 259 allergic dogs, determines breed predisposition for atopic dermatitis and food-induced allergic dermatitis, compares the clinical signs and features of both conditions, and outlines the clinical picture of five frequently affected breeds.

Evaluating a Research Training Programme for People with Intellectual Disabilities Participating in Inclusive Research: The Views of Participants.

PubMed

Fullana, Judit; Pallisera, Maria; Català, Elena; Puyalto, Carolina

2017-07-01

This article presents the results of evaluating a research training programme aimed at developing the skills of people with intellectual disabilities to actively participate in inclusive research. The present authors opted for a responsive approach to evaluation, using a combination of interviews, questionnaires and focus groups to gather information on the views of students, trainers and members of the research team regarding how the programme progressed, the learning achieved and participants' satisfaction with the programme. The evaluation showed that most of the participants were satisfied with the programme and provided guidelines for planning contents and materials, demonstrating the usefulness of these types of programme in constructing the research group and empowering people with intellectual disabilities to participate in research. The evaluation revealed that the programme had been a positive social experience that fostered interest in lifelong learning for people with intellectual disabilities. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Clinical case management for patients with schizophrenia with high care needs.

PubMed

Mas-Expósito, Laia; Amador-Campos, Juan Antonio; Gómez-Benito, Juana; Mauri-Mas, Lluís; Lalucat-Jo, Lluís

2015-02-01

The aim of this study is to establish the effectiveness of a clinical case management (CM) programme compared to a standard treatment programme (STP) in patients with schizophrenia. Patients for the CM programme were consecutively selected among patients in the STP with schizophrenia who had poor functioning. Seventy-five patients were admitted to the CM programme and were matched to 75 patients in the STP. Patients were evaluated at baseline and at 1 year follow-up. At baseline, patients in the CM programme showed lower levels of clinical and psychosocial functioning and more care needs than patients in the STP. Both treatment programmes were effective in maintaining contact with services but the CM programme did not show advantages over the STP on outcomes. Differences between groups at baseline may be masking the effects of CM at one year follow-up. A longer follow-up may be required to evaluate the real CM practices effects.

Eco-bio-social research on dengue in Asia: a multicountry study on ecosystem and community-based approaches for the control of dengue vectors in urban and peri-urban Asia.

PubMed

Sommerfeld, Johannes; Kroeger, Axel

2012-12-01

This article provides an overview of methods and cross-site insights of a 5-year research and capacity building initiative conducted between 2006 and 2011 in six countries of South Asia (India, Sri Lanka) and South-East Asia (Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand).The initiative managed an interdisciplinary investigation of ecological, biological, and social (i.e., eco-bio-social) dimensions of dengue in urban and peri-urban areas, and developed community-based interventions aimed at reducing dengue vector breeding and viral transmission. The multicountry study comprised interdisciplinary research groups from six leading Asian research institutions. The groups conducted a detailed situation analysis to identify and characterize local eco-bio-social conditions, and formed a community-of-practice for EcoHealth research where group partners disseminated results and collaboratively developed site-specific intervention tools for vector-borne diseases. In sites where water containers produced more than 70% of Aedes pupae, interventions ranged from mechanical lid covers for containers to biological control. Where small discarded containers presented the main problem, groups experimented with solid waste management, composting and recycling schemes. Many intervention tools were locally produced and all tools were implemented through community partnership strategies. All sites developed socially and culturally appropriate health education materials. The study also mobilised and empowered women's, students' and community groups and at several sites organized new volunteer groups for environmental health. The initiative's programmes showed significant impact on vector densities in some sites. Other sites showed varying effect - partially attributable to the 'contamination' of control groups - yet led to significant outcomes at the community level where local groups united around broad interests in environmental hygiene and sanitation. The programme's findings are relevant for defining efficient, effective and ecologically sound vector control interventions based on local evidence and in accordance with WHO's strategy for integrated vector management.

Determinants of the intention to purchase an autochthonous local lamb breed: Spanish case study.

PubMed

Gracia, Azucena; Maza, María Teresa

2015-12-01

The aim of the paper is to study consumers' acceptability for a lamb meat from a local autochthonous breed. An intention to purchase model was developed based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and estimated using data from a survey conducted in Spain. Results indicated that consumers were willing to buy this lamb meat because 86% of respondents said that they probably/definitely would buy it, although only 23% would if the meat is not available in their usual meat store. Then, the lack of availability in the market is an aspect limiting its consumption. The most important factors explaining the intention to purchase for consumers who would purchase this meat if it were not available in their usual store are the importance attached to the animal breed and their social embeddedness with the local area. An appropriate food policy would be to inform consumers about the importance of the animal breed in the quality of the meat and the local origin. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Molecular Breeding Algae For Improved Traits For The Conversion Of Waste To Fuels And Commodities.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bagwell, C.

This Exploratory LDRD aimed to develop molecular breeding methodology for biofuel algal strain improvement for applications in waste to energy / commodity conversion technologies. Genome shuffling technologies, specifically protoplast fusion, are readily available for the rapid production of genetic hybrids for trait improvement and have been used successfully in bacteria, yeast, plants and animals. However, genome fusion has not been developed for exploiting the remarkable untapped potential of eukaryotic microalgae for large scale integrated bio-conversion and upgrading of waste components to valued commodities, fuel and energy. The proposed molecular breeding technology is effectively sexual reproduction in algae; though compared tomore » traditional breeding, the molecular route is rapid, high-throughput and permits selection / improvement of complex traits which cannot be accomplished by traditional genetics. Genome fusion technologies are the cutting edge of applied biotechnology. The goals of this Exploratory LDRD were to 1) establish reliable methodology for protoplast production among diverse microalgal strains, and 2) demonstrate genome fusion for hybrid strain production using a single gene encoded trait as a proof of the concept.« less

Breeding implications of drought stress under future climate for upland rice in Brazil.

PubMed

Ramirez-Villegas, Julian; Heinemann, Alexandre B; Pereira de Castro, Adriano; Breseghello, Flávio; Navarro-Racines, Carlos; Li, Tao; Rebolledo, Maria C; Challinor, Andrew J

2018-05-01

Rice is the most important food crop in the developing world. For rice production systems to address the challenges of increasing demand and climate change, potential and on-farm yield increases must be increased. Breeding is one of the main strategies toward such aim. Here, we hypothesize that climatic and atmospheric changes for the upland rice growing period in central Brazil are likely to alter environment groupings and drought stress patterns by 2050, leading to changing breeding targets during the 21st century. As a result of changes in drought stress frequency and intensity, we found reductions in productivity in the range of 200-600 kg/ha (up to 20%) and reductions in yield stability throughout virtually the entire upland rice growing area (except for the southeast). In the face of these changes, our crop simulation analysis suggests that the current strategy of the breeding program, which aims at achieving wide adaptation, should be adjusted. Based on the results for current and future climates, a weighted selection strategy for the three environmental groups that characterize the region is suggested. For the highly favorable environment (HFE, 36%-41% growing area, depending on RCP), selection should be done under both stress-free and terminal stress conditions; for the favorable environment (FE, 27%-40%), selection should aim at testing under reproductive and terminal stress, and for the least favorable environment (LFE, 23%-27%), selection should be conducted for response to reproductive stress only and for the joint occurrence of reproductive and terminal stress. Even though there are differences in timing, it is noteworthy that stress levels are similar across environments, with 40%-60% of crop water demand unsatisfied. Efficient crop improvement targeted toward adaptive traits for drought tolerance will enhance upland rice crop system resilience under climate change. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence varies by cat breed

PubMed Central

Hytönen, Marjo K.; Orro, Toomas; Lohi, Hannes; Jokelainen, Pikka

2017-01-01

Toxoplasma gondii is a widespread zoonotic parasite that is relevant for veterinary and public health. The domestic cat, the definitive host species with the largest worldwide population, has become evolutionarily and epidemiologically the most important host of T. gondii. The outcome of T. gondii infection is influenced by congenital and acquired host characteristics. We detected differences in T. gondii seroprevalence by cat breed in our previous studies. The aims of this study were to estimate T. gondii seroprevalence in selected domestic cat breeds, and to evaluate whether being of a certain breed is associated with T. gondii seropositivity, when the age and lifestyle of the cat are taken into account. The studied breeds were the Birman, British Shorthair, Burmese, Korat, Norwegian Forest Cat, Ocicat, Persian, and Siamese. Plasma samples were analyzed for the presence of immunoglobulin G antibodies against T. gondii with a commercial direct agglutination test at dilution 1:40. The samples were accompanied by owner-completed questionnaires that provided background data on the cats. Overall, 41.12% of the 1121 cats tested seropositive, and the seroprevalence increased with age. The Burmese had the lowest seroprevalence (18.82%) and the Persian had the highest (60.00%). According to the final multivariable logistic regression model, the odds to test seropositive were four to seven times higher in Birmans, Ocicats, Norwegian Forest Cats, and Persians when compared with the Burmese, while older age and receiving raw meat were also risk factors for T. gondii seropositivity. This study showed that T. gondii seroprevalence varies by cat breed and identified being of certain breeds, older age, and receiving raw meat as risk factors for seropositivity. PMID:28886182

Incidence of pyometra in Swedish insured cats.

PubMed

Hagman, Ragnvi; Ström Holst, Bodil; Möller, Lotta; Egenvall, Agneta

2014-07-01

Pyometra is a clinically relevant problem in intact female cats and dogs. The etiology is similar in both animal species, with the disease caused by bacterial infection of a progesterone-sensitized uterus. Here, we studied pyometra in cats with the aim to describe the incidence and probability of developing pyometra based on age and breed. The data used were reimbursed claims for veterinary care insurance or life insurance claims or both in cats insured in a Swedish insurance database from 1999 to 2006. The mean incidence rate (IR) for pyometra was about 17 cats per 10,000 cat years at risk (CYAR). Cats with pyometra were diagnosed at a median age of 4 years and a significant breed effect was observed. The breed with the highest IR (433 cats per 10,000 CYAR) was the Sphynx, and other breeds with IR over 60 cats per 10,000 CYAR were Siberian cat, Ocicat, Korat, Siamese, Ragdoll, Maine coon, and Bengal. Pyometra was more commonly diagnosed with increasing age, with a marked increase in cats older than 7 years. The mean case fatality rate in all cats was 5.7%, which is slightly higher than corresponding reports in dogs of 3% to 4%. Geographical location (urban or rural) did not affect the risk of developing the disease. The present study provides information of incidence and probability of developing pyometra based on age, breed, and urban or rural geographical location. These data may be useful for designing cat breeding programs in high-risk breeds and for future studies of the genetic background of the disease. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Individual Quality Explains Variation in Reproductive Success Better than Territory Quality in a Long-Lived Territorial Raptor

PubMed Central

Zabala, Jabi; Zuberogoitia, Iñigo

2014-01-01

Evolution by natural selection depends on the relationship between individual traits and fitness. Variation in individual fitness can result from habitat (territory) quality and individual variation. Individual quality and specialization can have a deep impact on fitness, yet in most studies on territorial species the quality of territory and individuals are confused. We aimed to determine if variation in breeding success is better explained by territories, individual quality or a combination of both. We analysed the number of fledglings and the breeding quality index (the difference between the number of fledglings of an individual/breeding pair and the average number of fledglings of the monitored territories in the same year) as part of a long term (16 years) peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) monitoring program with identification of individuals. Using individual and territory identities as correlates of quality, we built Generalised Linear Models with Mixed effects, in which random factors depicted different hypotheses for sources of variation (territory/individual quality) in the reproductive success of unique breeding pairs, males and females, and assessed their performance. Most evidence supported the hypothesis that variation in breeding success is explained by individual identity, particularly male identity, rather than territory. There is also some evidence for inter year variations in the breeding success of females and a territory effect in the case of males. We argue that, in territorial species, individual quality is a major source of variation in breeding success, often masked by territory. Future ecological and conservation studies on habitat use should consider and include the effect of individuals, in order to avoid misleading results. PMID:24599280

Pituitary dwarfism in Saarloos and Czechoslovakian wolfdogs is associated with a mutation in LHX3.

PubMed

Voorbij, A M W Y; Leegwater, P A; Kooistra, H S

2014-01-01

Pituitary dwarfism in German Shepherd Dogs is associated with autosomal recessive inheritance and a mutation in LHX3, resulting in combined pituitary hormone deficiency. Congenital dwarfism also is encountered in breeds related to German Shepherd Dogs, such as Saarloos and Czechoslovakian wolfdogs. To investigate whether Saarloos and Czechoslovakian wolfdog dwarfs have the same LHX3 mutation as do Germans Shepherd Dog dwarfs. A specific aim was to determine the carrier frequency among Saarloos and Czechoslovakian wolfdogs used for breeding. Two client-owned Saarloos wolfdogs and 4 client-owned Czechoslovakian wolfdogs with pituitary dwarfism, 239 clinically healthy client-owned Saarloos wolfdogs, and 200 client-owned clinically healthy Czechoslovakian wolfdogs. Genomic DNA was amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In the Saarloos and Czechoslovakian wolfdog dwarfs, PCR products were analyzed by sequencing. DNA fragment length analysis was performed on the samples from the clinically healthy dogs. Saarloos and Czechoslovakian wolfdog dwarfs have the same 7 bp deletion in intron 5 of LHX3 as do German Shepherd Dog dwarfs. The frequency of carriers of this mutation among clinically healthy Saarloos and Czechoslovakian wolfdogs used for breeding was 31% and 21%, respectively. An LHX3 mutation is associated with pituitary dwarfism in Saarloos and Czechoslovakian wolfdogs. The rather high frequency of carriers of the mutated gene in the 2 breeds emphasizes the need for screening before breeding. If all breeding animals were genetically tested for the presence of the LHX3 mutation and a correct breeding policy would be implemented, this disease could be eradicated completely. Copyright © 2014 by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

Impact of a Community-Based Programme for Motor Development on Gross Motor Skills and Cognitive Function in Preschool Children from Disadvantaged Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Draper, Catherine E.; Achmat, Masturah; Forbes, Jared; Lambert, Estelle V.

2012-01-01

The aims of the studies were to assess the impact of the Little Champs programme for motor development on (1) the gross motor skills, and (2) cognitive function of children in the programme. In study 1, 118 children from one Early Childhood Development Centre (ECDC) were tested using the Test of Gross Motor Development-2, and in study 2, 83…

Online patient safety education programme for junior doctors: is it worthwhile?

PubMed

McCarthy, S E; O'Boyle, C A; O'Shaughnessy, A; Walsh, G

2016-02-01

Increasing demand exists for blended approaches to the development of professionalism. Trainees of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland participated in an online patient safety programme. Study aims were: (1) to determine whether the programme improved junior doctors' knowledge, attitudes and skills relating to error reporting, open communication and care for the second victim and (2) to establish whether the methodology facilitated participants' learning. 208 junior doctors who completed the programme completed a pre-online questionnaire. Measures were "patient safety knowledge and attitudes", "medical safety climate" and "experience of learning". Sixty-two completed the post-questionnaire, representing a 30 % matched response rate. Participating in the programme resulted in immediate (p < 0.01) improvement in skills such as knowing when and how to complete incident forms and disclosing errors to patients, in self-rated knowledge (p < 0.01) and attitudes towards error reporting (p < 0.01). Sixty-three per cent disagreed that doctors routinely report medical errors and 42 % disagreed that doctors routinely share information about medical errors and what caused them. Participants rated interactive features as the most positive elements of the programme. An online training programme on medical error improved self-rated knowledge, attitudes and skills in junior doctors and was deemed an effective learning tool. Perceptions of work issues such as a poor culture of error reporting among doctors may prevent improved attitudes being realised in practice. Online patient safety education has a role in practice-based initiatives aimed at developing professionalism and improving safety.