ORCID Profile
0000-0002-4506-0555
Current Organisation
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
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Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-11-2012
DOI: 10.1007/S13353-012-0121-1
Abstract: Body size is directly related to the productive and reproductive performance of beef cattle raised under free-range conditions. In an attempt to better plan selection criteria, avoiding extremes in body size, this study estimated the heritabilities and genetic correlations of yearling hip height (YH) and mature hip height (MH) with selection indices obtained at weaning (WI) and yearling (YI) and mature weight (MW). Data from 102,373 Nelore animals born between 1984 and 2010, which belong to 263 farms that participate in genetic evaluation programmes of beef cattle conducted in Brazil and Paraguay, were used. The (co)variance components and genetic parameters were estimated by Bayesian inference in multi-trait analysis using an animal model. The mean heritabilities for YH, MH and MW were 0.56 ± 0.06, 0.47 ± 0.02 and 0.42 ± 0.02, respectively. The genetic correlation of YH with WI (0.13 ± 0.01) and YI (0.11 ± 0.01) was practically zero, whereas a higher correlation was observed with MW (0.22 ± 0.03). Positive genetic correlations of medium magnitude were estimated between MH and WI and YI (0.23 ± 0.01 and 0.43 ± 0.02, respectively). On the other hand, a high genetic correlation (0.68 ± 0.03) was observed between the indicator traits of mature body size (MH and MW). Considering the top 20 % of sire (896 sires) in terms of breeding values for the yearling index, the rank sire correlations between breeding values for MH and MW was 0.62. In general, the results indicate that selection based on WI and YI should not lead to important changes in YH. However, an undesired correlated response in mature cow height is expected, particularly when selection is performed using YI. Therefore, changes in the body structure of Nelore females can be obtained when MH and MW is used as a selection criterion for cows.
Publisher: American Vacuum Society
Date: 24-04-2015
DOI: 10.1116/1.4918765
Abstract: The transport of plasma generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) across a simple phospholipid membrane mimic of a (real) cell was investigated. Experiments were performed in cell culture media (Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium, DMEM), with and without 10% serum. A (broad spectrum) ROS reporter dye, 2,7-dichlorodihydrofluorescein (DCFH), was used to detect the generation of ROS by a helium (He) plasma jet in DMEM using free DCFH and with DCFH encapsulated inside phospholipid membrane vesicles dispersed in DMEM. The authors focus on the concentration and on the relative rates (arbitrary units) for oxidation of DCFH [or the appearance of the oxidized product 2,7-dichlorofluorescein (DCF)] both in solution and within vesicles. In the first 1 h following plasma exposure, the concentration of free DCF in DMEM was ∼15× greater in the presence of serum (cf. to the serum-free DMEM control). The DCF in vesicles was ∼2× greater in DMEM containing serum compared to the serum-free DMEM control. These data show that serum enhances plasma ROS generation in DMEM. As expected, the role of the phospholipid membrane was to reduce the rate of oxidation of the encapsulated DCFH (with and without serum). And the efficiency of ROS transport into vesicles was lower in DMEM containing serum (at 4% efficiency) when compared to serum-free DMEM (at 32% efficiency). After 1 h, the rate of DCFH oxidation was found to have significantly reduced. Based upon a synthesis of these data with results from the open literature, the authors speculate on how the components of biological fluid and cellular membranes might affect the kinetics of consumption of plasma generated ROS.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 11-04-2019
DOI: 10.1093/JAS/SKZ121
Abstract: An efficient strategy to improve QTL detection power is performing across-breed validation studies. Variants segregating across breeds are expected to be in high linkage disequilibrium (LD) with causal mutations affecting economically important traits. The aim of this study was to validate, in a Tropical Composite cattle (TC) population, QTL associations identified for sexual precocity traits in a Nellore and Brahman meta-analysis genome-wide association study. In total, 2,816 TC, 8,001 Nellore, and 2,210 Brahman animals were available for the analysis. For that, genomic regions significantly associated with puberty traits in the meta-analysis study were validated for the following sexual precocity traits in TC: age at first corpus luteum (AGECL), first postpartum anestrus interval (PPAI), and scrotal circumference at 18 months of age (SC). We considered validated QTL those underpinned by significant markers from the Nellore and Brahman meta-analysis (P ≤ 10–4) that were also significant for a TC trait, i.e., presenting a P-value of ≤10–3 for AGECL, PPAI, or SC. We also considered as validated QTL those regions where significant markers in the reference population were at ±250 kb from significant markers in the validation population. Using this criteria, 49 SNP were validated for AGECL, 4 for PPAI, and 14 for SC, from which 5 were in common with AGECL, totaling 62 validated SNP for these traits and 30 candidate genes surrounding them. Considering just candidate genes closest to the top SNP of each chromosome, for AGECL 8 candidate genes were identified: COL8A1, PENK, ENSBTAG00000047425, BPNT1, ADAMTS17, CCHCR1, SUFU, and ENSBTAG00000046374. For PPAI, 3 genes emerged as candidates (PCBP3, KCNK10, and MRPS5), and for SC 8 candidate genes were identified (SNORA70, TRAC, ASS1, BPNT1, LRRK1, PKHD1, PTPRM, and ENSBTAG00000045690). Several candidate regions presented here were previously associated with puberty traits in cattle. The majority of emerging candidate genes are related to biological processes involved in reproductive events, such as maintenance of gestation, and some are known to be expressed in reproductive tissues. Our results suggested that some QTL controlling early puberty seem to be segregating across cattle breeds adapted to tropical conditions.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2017
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.MEATSCI.2018.09.010
Abstract: The objective of this study was to present heritability estimates and accuracy of genomic prediction using different methods for meat quality traits in Nelore cattle. Approximately 5000 animals with phenotypes and genotypes of 412,000 SNPs, were ided into two groups: (1) training population: animals born from 2008 to 2013 and (2) validation population: animals born in 2014. A single-trait animal model was used to estimate heritability and to adjust the phenotype. The methods of GBLUP, Improved Bayesian Lasso and Bayes Cπ were performed to estimate the SNP effects. Accuracy of genomic prediction was calculated using Pearson's correlations between direct genomic values and adjusted phenotypes, ided by the square root of heritability of each trait (0.03-0.19). The accuracies varied from 0.23 to 0.73, with the lowest accuracies estimated for traits associated with fat content and the greatest accuracies observed for traits of meat color and tenderness. There were small differences in genomic prediction accuracy between methods.
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 13-11-2017
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 02-2018
Abstract: Salmonid rickettsial syndrome (SRS), caused by the intracellular bacterium Piscirickettsia salmonis, is one of the main diseases affecting rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) farming. To accelerate genetic progress, genomic selection methods can be used as an effective approach to control the disease. The aims of this study were: (i) to compare the accuracy of estimated breeding values using pedigree-based best linear unbiased prediction (PBLUP) with genomic BLUP (GBLUP), single-step GBLUP (ssGBLUP), Bayes C, and Bayesian Lasso (LASSO) and (ii) to test the accuracy of genomic prediction and PBLUP using different marker densities (0.5, 3, 10, 20, and 27 K) for resistance against P. salmonis in rainbow trout. Phenotypes were recorded as number of days to death (DD) and binary survival (BS) from 2416 fish challenged with P. salmonis. A total of 1934 fish were genotyped using a 57 K single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array. All genomic prediction methods achieved higher accuracies than PBLUP. The relative increase in accuracy for different genomic models ranged from 28 to 41% for both DD and BS at 27 K SNP. Between different genomic models, the highest relative increase in accuracy was obtained with Bayes C (∼40%), where 3 K SNP was enough to achieve a similar accuracy to that of the 27 K SNP for both traits. For resistance against P. salmonis in rainbow trout, we showed that genomic predictions using GBLUP, ssGBLUP, Bayes C, and LASSO can increase accuracy compared with PBLUP. Moreover, it is possible to use relatively low-density SNP panels for genomic prediction without compromising accuracy predictions for resistance against P. salmonis in rainbow trout.
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 2015
DOI: 10.1063/1.4913367
Abstract: Spatially varied surface treatment of a fluorescently labeled Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) protein, on the walls of a closed (sealed) microchannel is achieved via a well-defined gradient in plasma intensity. The microchips comprised a microchannel positioned in-between two microelectrodes (embedded in the chip) with a variable electrode separation along the length of the channel. The channel and electrodes were 50 μm and 100 μm wide, respectively, 50 μm deep, and adjacent to the channel for a length of 18 mm. The electrode separation distance was varied linearly from 50 μm at one end of the channel to a maximum distance of 150, 300, 500, or 1000 μm to generate a gradient in helium plasma intensity. Plasma ignition was achieved at a helium flow rate of 2.5 ml/min, 8.5 kVpk-pk, and 10 kHz. It is shown that the plasma intensity decreases with increasing electrode separation and is directly related to the residual amount of BSA left after the treatment. The plasma intensity and surface protein gradient, for the different electrode gradients studied, collapse onto master curves when plotted against electrode separation. This precise spatial control is expected to enable the surface protein gradient to be tuned for a range of applications, including high-throughput screening and cell-biomolecule-biomaterial interactions.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-2017
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-11-2019
DOI: 10.1111/JBG.12454
Abstract: Genetic control of residual variance offers opportunities to increase uniformity and resilience of livestock and aquaculture species. Improving uniformity and resilience of animals will improve health and welfare of animals and lead to more homogenous products. Our aims in this review were to summarize the current models and methods to study genetic control of residual variance, genetic parameters and genomic results for residual variance and discuss future research directions. Typically, the genetic coefficient of variation is high (median = 0.27 range 0-0.86) and the heritability of residual variance is low (median = 0.01 range 0-0.10). Higher heritabilities can be achieved when increasing the number of records per animal. Divergent selection experiments have supported the feasibility of selecting for high or low residual variance. Genomic studies have revealed associations in regions related to stress, including those from the heat shock protein family. Although the number of studies is growing, genetic control of residual variance is still poorly understood, but big data and genomics offer great opportunities.
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 08-12-2017
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-07-2014
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 23-11-2018
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 22-11-2016
Abstract: Skin has a remarkable capacity for regeneration however, with an ever aging population, there is a growing burden to the healthcare system from chronic wounds. Novel therapies are required to address the problems associated with nonhealing chronic wounds. Novel wound dressings that can encourage increased reepithelialization could help to reduce the burden of chronic wounds. A suite of chemically defined surfaces have been produced using plasma polymerization, and the ability of these surfaces to support the growth of primary human skin cells has been assessed. Additionally, the ability of these surfaces to modulate cell migration and morphology has also been investigated. Keratinocytes and endothelial cells were extremely sensitive to surface chemistry showing increased viability and migration with an increased number of carboxylic acid functional groups. Fibroblasts proved to be more tolerant to changes in surface chemistry however, these cells migrated fastest over amine-functionalized surfaces. The novel combination of comprehensive chemical characterization coupled with the focus on cell migration provides a unique insight into how a material's physicochemical properties affect cell migration.
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 29-01-2015
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2020
Publisher: FapUNIFESP (SciELO)
Date: 06-2016
DOI: 10.1590/S0100-204X2016000600006
Abstract: Resumo: O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar estratégias de seleção simulada pela contribuição genética ótima quanto ao ganho genético, com restrição sobre a coancestria, para a característica peso aos 84 dias idade, em ovinos Santa Inês. As análises foram definidas conforme um algoritmo de evolução diferencial, que otimizou uma função-objetivo composta pelo mérito genético e a coancestria média dos animais candidatos à reprodução. A estratégia definida como ótima indicou a utilização de 19 carneiros, o que resultaria em ganho médio esperado de 1,1259 unidades de desvio-padrão, e coancestria igual a 0,0249 (estratégia 5). Em comparação à seleção com base apenas no valor genético, a estratégia ótima reduziu a coancestria em 12%, e o ganho genético, em apenas 3%. A seleção de ovinos pela contribuição genética ótima oferece diferentes níveis de ganho genético, que são atingíveis a partir de restrições sobre a coancestria. Assim, é possível minimizar a coancestria, ou restringi-la em um valor pré-definido, e maximizar o ganho genético simultaneamente com o uso da contribuição genética ótima.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 20-06-2017
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-017-03754-1
Abstract: Despite growing interest in the application of atmospheric plasma jets as medical treatment strategies, there has been comparatively little research on the potential genotoxic and cytotoxic effects of plasma jet treatment. In this study, we have employed the cytokinesis block micronucleus cytome (CBMN-Cyt) assay with WIL2-NS B lymphoblastoid cells to test the potential genotoxicity, as well as the cytotoxicity, of toxic species generated in cell culture media by an argon (Ar) plasma jet. Elevated levels of cell death (necrosis) and occurrence of chromosomal damage (micronuclei MN, nculeoplasmic bridge NPBs and nuclear bus, Nbuds) were observed when cells were exposed to plasma jet-treated media. These results provide a first insight into how we might measure the genotoxic and cytotoxic effect of plasma jet treatments (both indirect and direct) in iding human cells.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 2012
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2017
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2018
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2019
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.TIBTECH.2017.07.012
Abstract: Electrically generated cold atmospheric plasma is being intensively researched for novel applications in biology and medicine. Significant attention is being given to reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), initially generated upon plasma-air interactions, and subsequently delivered to biological systems. Effects of plasma exposure are observed to millimeter depths within tissue. However, the exact nature of the initial plasma-tissue interactions remains unknown, including RONS speciation and delivery depth, or how plasma-derived RONS intervene in biological processes. Herein, we focus on current research using tissue and cell models to learn more about the plasma delivery of RONS into biological environments. We argue that this research is vital in underpinning the knowledge required to realize the full potential of plasma in biology and medicine.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 06-2017
Abstract: Feet and leg conformation scores are important traits in beef cattle because they encompass a wide range of locomotion disorders that can lead to productive and reproductive losses. Thus, the study of feet and legs in beef cattle is essential for evaluating possible responses to selection focusing on minimizing economic losses caused by the occurrence of feet and leg problems. The aim of this study was to estimate variance components for feet and leg conformation traits in Nelore cattle. The data set contained records of approximately 300,000 animals that were born between 2000 and 2013. These animals belonged to the commercial beef cattle breeding program of the CRV Lagoa (). Feet and legs were evaluated by assigning visual scores at 2 different time points: feet and leg evaluated as a binary trait (FL1), measured at yearling (about 550 d of age) to identify whether (or not) an animal has feet and leg defects, and feet and leg score (FL2), ranging from 1 (less desirable) to 5 (more desirable) was assigned to the top 20% of animals according to the selection index adopted by the beef cattle breeding program, which was measured 2 to 5 mo after the yearling evaluation. The FL1 and FL2 traits were analyzed together with yearling weight (YW). The (co)variance components and breeding values were estimated by Bayesian inference using 2-trait animal models. The posterior means (standard errors) of the heritabilities for FL1, FL2, and YW were 0.18 (0.04), 0.39 (0.07), and 0.47 (0.01), respectively. The results indicate that the incidence of feet and leg problems in this population might be reduced by selection. The genetic correlation between FL1 and FL2 (-0.47) was moderate and negative as expected because the classification score that holds up each trait has opposite numerical values. The genetic trends estimated for FL1 and FL2 (-0.042 and 0.021 genetic standard deviations per year, respectively) were favorable and they indicate that the independent culling strategy for feet and leg problems promotes favorable changes and contributes to the genetic progress of these traits in the population under study.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-06-2016
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2015
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-06-2018
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 04-2017
Abstract: There is evidence for genetic variability in residual variance of livestock traits, which offers the potential for selection for increased uniformity of production. Different statistical approaches have been employed to study this topic however, little is known about the concordance between them. The aim of our study was to investigate the genetic heterogeneity of residual variance on yearling weight (YW 291.15 ± 46.67) in a Nellore beef cattle population to compare the results of the statistical approaches, the two-step approach and the double hierarchical generalized linear model (DHGLM) and to evaluate the effectiveness of power transformation to accommodate scale differences. The comparison was based on genetic parameters, accuracy of EBV for residual variance, and cross-validation to assess predictive performance of both approaches. A total of 194,628 yearling weight records from 625 sires were used in the analysis. The results supported the hypothesis of genetic heterogeneity of residual variance on YW in Nellore beef cattle and the opportunity of selection, measured through the genetic coefficient of variation of residual variance (0.10 to 0.12 for the two-step approach and 0.17 for DHGLM, using an untransformed data set). However, low estimates of genetic variance associated with positive genetic correlations between mean and residual variance (about 0.20 for two-step and 0.76 for DHGLM for an untransformed data set) limit the genetic response to selection for uniformity of production while simultaneously increasing YW itself. Moreover, large sire families are needed to obtain accurate estimates of genetic merit for residual variance, as indicated by the low heritability estimates (<0.007). Box-Cox transformation was able to decrease the dependence of the variance on the mean and decreased the estimates of genetic parameters for residual variance. The transformation reduced but did not eliminate all the genetic heterogeneity of residual variance, highlighting its presence beyond the scale effect. The DHGLM showed higher predictive ability of EBV for residual variance and therefore should be preferred over the two-step approach.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 17-10-2017
DOI: 10.1111/AGE.12621
Abstract: We performed a genome-wide association study to detect markers associated with growth traits in Atlantic salmon. The analyzed traits included body weight at tagging (BWT) and body weight at 25 months (BW25M). Genotypes of 4662 animals were imputed from the 50K SNP chip to the 200K SNP chip using fimpute software. The markers were simultaneously modeled using Bayes C to identify genomic regions associated with the traits. We identified windows explaining a maximum of 3.71% and 3.61% of the genetic variance for BWT and BW25M respectively. We found potential candidate genes located within the top ten 1-Mb windows for BWT and BW25M. For instance, the vitronectin (VTN) gene, which has been previously reported to be associated with cell growth, was found within one of the top ten 1-Mb windows for BWT. In addition, the WNT1-inducible-signaling pathway protein 3, melanocortin 2 receptor accessory protein 2, myosin light chain kinase, transforming growth factor beta receptor type 3 and myosin light chain 1 genes, which have been reported to be associated with skeletal growth in humans, growth stimulation during the larval stage in zebrafish, body weight in pigs, feed conversion in chickens and growth rate of sheep skeletal muscle respectively, were found within some of the top ten 1-Mb windows for BW25M. These results indicate that growth traits are most likely controlled by many variants with relatively small effects in Atlantic salmon. The genomic regions associated with the traits studied here may provide further insight into the functional regions underlying growth traits in this species.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.YGENO.2018.01.008
Abstract: The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of breeding values (EBVs) predicted using the traditional pedigree based Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (PBLUP) and the single-step genomic Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (ssGBLUP) for resistance against infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) in rainbow trout. A total of 2278 animals were challenged against IPNV and 768 in iduals were genotyped using a 57 K single nucleotide polymorphism array for rainbow trout. Accuracies for both methods were assessed using five-fold cross-validation. The heritabilities were higher for PBLUP compared to ssGBLUP. The ssGBLUP accuracies outperformed PBLUP in 7 and 11% for days to death and binary survival, respectively. The ssGBLUP could be an alternative approach to improve the accuracy of breeding values for resistance against infectious pancreatic necrosis virus in rainbow trout, using information from genotyped and non-genotyped animals.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-2022
DOI: 10.1111/EVA.13378
Abstract: The increasing global demand for food, due to the continuous growth of human population, requires improvements in the efficiency and sustainability of animal production systems. In addition, several challenges facing farming of aquatic and terrestrial organisms need to be overcome to ensure food security in the upcoming decades, e.g. adaptation to climate change, reduced availability of conventional animal feed ingredients, emerging infectious and parasitic diseases, among others. Genomic technologies such as massive parallel sequencing, high‐throughput genotyping, genome selection and gene editing, combined with highly efficient computational methods can accelerate the rate of genetic progress in animal breeding. Thus, such technologies can help us meet the needs for protein sources for human consumption in the upcoming years. This Special Issue aims at presenting current advancements in the field of genomic tools applied to aquatic and terrestrial farmed animal populations.
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 11-07-2016
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-06-2014
Publisher: FapUNIFESP (SciELO)
Date: 07-2010
DOI: 10.1590/S1516-35982010000700005
Abstract: A program to determine optimum contribution selection using differential evolution was developed. The objective function to be optimized was composed by the expected merit of the future progeny and the coancestry among selected parents. Simulated and real datasets of populations with overlapping generations were used to validate and test the performance of the program. The program was computationally efficient and feasible for practical applications. The expected consequences of using the program, in contrast to empirical procedures to control inbreeding and/or to selection based exclusively on expected genetic merit, would be the improvement of the selection response and a more effective control of inbreeding.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2014
Publisher: FapUNIFESP (SciELO)
Date: 06-2006
DOI: 10.1590/S1516-35982006000400012
Abstract: Os objetivos neste trabalho foram comparar estimativas de parâmetros genéticos obtidas por meio de dois modelos - um contendo apenas efeitos aditivos e de dominância e outro que incluiu os efeitos aditivo-conjunto (complementaridade) e epistático - e testar alternativas de critérios objetivos para determinação do coeficiente lambda na aplicação da regressão de cumeeira. Os resultados obtidos revelaram que a escolha de um critério para determinação do coeficiente lambda em regressão de cumeeira depende não apenas do conjunto de dados e do modelo utilizado, mas, sobretudo, de um conhecimento prévio acerca do fenômeno estudado e do significado prático e da interpretação dos parâmetros encontrados. Pelo uso de modelos mais completos para avaliação de efeitos genéticos em bovinos de corte, pode-se identificar a contribuição dos efeitos aditivo-conjunto e epistático, que encontram-se embutidos no efeito de heterose estimado por modelos mais simples. A regressão de cumeeira é uma ferramenta que viabiliza a obtenção dessas estimativas mesmo na presença de forte multicolinearidade.
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 05-08-2019
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 04-2015
Abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of genotype × environment interaction (G×E) on age at first calving (AFC), scrotal circumference (SC), and yearling weight (YW) and to estimate genetic correlations between these traits in Nellore cattle using reaction norms in multitrait random regression models. In this study, 28,871, 41,386, and 89,152 records of Nellore cattle for AFC, SC, and YW, respectively, were used. The data were obtained from farms located in the north, northeast, midwest, and southeast regions of Brazil that participate in the DeltaGen Breeding Program. Environmental levels were defined as a function of contemporary groups, that is, animals born in the same herd and year, from the same management group (from birth to yearling), and of the same sex. Postweaning weight gain was used as a criterion to evaluate the environmental conditions for all traits. For reaction norm analyses, residual variances were modeled with homogeneous and heterogeneous classes. The model for SC and YW included the fixed effects of contemporary group and age of the animal as a covariate as well as random direct additive genetic and residual effects. The same model, excluding the covariate age of the animal, was used for AFC. The heritability estimates were low to high for AFC (0.09 to 0.50), high for SC (0.51 to 0.67), and moderate to high for YW (0.33 to 0.71). The genetic correlations (within each trait) along the environmental levels varied from -0.27 to 1.0 for AFC, from 0.73 to 1.0 for SC, and from 0.26 to 1.0 for YW. The genetic correlations between different traits in different environments varied from -0.14 to -0.60 between AFC and SC, from -0.05 to -0.32 between AFC and YW, and from -0.05 to 0.72 between YW and SC. The genetic correlations have had different magnitudes for AFC, SC, and YW, which could indicate the presence of G×E. The present results should support researchers and farmers in defining selection criteria to improve growth traits and sexual precocity. Our results suggest that animals for breeding have to be selected in the same environment and management conditions as their progeny will be reared.
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 14-06-2013
DOI: 10.1021/AM401484B
Abstract: External parameters (RF power and precursor flow rate) are typically quoted to define plasma polymerization experiments. Utilizing a parallel-plate electrode reactor with variable geometry, it is shown that these parameters cannot be transferred to reactors with different geometries in order to reproduce plasma polymer films using four precursors. Measurements of ion flux and power coupling efficiency confirm that intrinsic plasma properties vary greatly with reactor geometry at constant applied RF power. It is further demonstrated that controlling intrinsic parameters, in this case the ion flux, offers a more widely applicable method of defining plasma polymerization processes, particularly for saturated and allylic precursors.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 06-2016
Abstract: In typical genetic evaluation, often some females have missing records due to reproductive failure and due to voluntary and involuntary culling before the breeding season. These partially or unobserved phenotypes are known as censored records and their inclusion into genetic evaluations might lead to better inferences and breeding value predictions. Then, the objective was to compare prediction ability of models in which the phenotypic expression of age at the first calving (AFC) and days to calving (DC) were considered to be censored and uncensored in a Nellore cattle population. Age at first calving and days to calving were analyzed as following: uncensored animals (LM) penalization of 21 d (PLM) censored records simulated from truncated normal distributions (CLM) threshold-linear model in which censored records were handled as missing (TLM) or coded as the upper AFC/DC value within contemporary group (PTLM) and Weibull frailty hazard model (WM). Pearson correlations (PC), the percentage of the 10% best bulls in common (pTOP10%), accuracy of estimated breeding values (), and a cross-validation scheme were performed. Heritability estimates for AFC were 0.18, 0.12, 0.12, 0.17, 0.14, and 0.07 for LM, PLM, CLM, TLM, PTLM, and WM, respectively. PC and pTOP10% were higher among linear models and smaller between these models and WM. The models provided similar r of sire breeding values. Heritability estimates for DC were 0.03, 0.08, 0.06, 0.02, 0.07, and 0.10 for LM, PLM, CLM, TLM, PTLM, and WM, respectively. Strongly associated predictions were observed in CLM, PLM, PTLM, and WM. The highest coincidence levels of sires in the TOP10% were between CLM, PLM, and PTLM. The r of sire breeding values obtained applying CLM, PLM, PTLM, and WM were similar and higher than those obtained with LM and TLM. In terms of prediction ability, WM, PLM, TLM, and PTLM showed similar prediction performance for AFC. On the other hand, CLM, PLM, PTLM, and WM showed the similar prediction ability for DC Therefore, these models would be recommended to perform genetic evaluation of age at first calving and days to calving in this Nellore population.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-06-2012
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 19-01-2017
Abstract: Culture surfaces that substantially reduce the degree of cell manipulation in the delivery of cell sheets to patients are described. These surfaces support the attachment, culture, and delivery of multipotent adult progenitor cells (MAPC). It was essential that the processes of attachment/detachment to the surface did not affect cell phenotype nor the function of the cultured cells. Both acid-based and amine-based surface coatings were generated from acrylic acid, propanoic acid, diaminopropane, and heptylamine precursors, respectively. While both functional groups supported cell attachment/detachment, amine coated surfaces gave optimal performance. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that at a primary amine to carbon surface ratio of between 0.01 and 0.02, greater than 90% of attached cells were effectively transferred to a model wound bed. A dependence on primary amine concentration has not previously been reported. After 48 h of culture on the optimized amine surface, PCR, functional, and viability assays showed that MAPC retained their stem cell phenotype, full metabolic activity, and biological function. Consequently, in a proof of concept experiment, it was shown that this amine surface when coated onto a surgical dressing provides an effective and simple technology for the delivery of MAPC to murine dorsal excisional wounds, with MAPC delivery verified histologically. By optimizing for cell delivery using a combination of in vitro and in vivo techniques, we developed an effective surface for the delivery of MAPC in a clinically relevant format.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-2016
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 14-11-2016
DOI: 10.1063/1.4967880
Abstract: The effect of oxidation, oxygenation, and de-oxygenation arising from He gas jet and He plasma jet treatments on the viability of skin cells cultured in vitro has been investigated. He gas jet treatment de-oxygenated cell culture medium in a process referred to as “sparging.” He plasma jet treatments oxidized, as well as oxygenated or de-oxygenated cell culture medium depending on the dissolved oxygen concentration at the time of treatment. He gas and plasma jets were shown to have beneficial or deleterious effects on skin cells depending on the concentration of dissolved oxygen and other oxidative molecules at the time of treatment. Different combinations of treatments with He gas and plasma jets can be used to modulate the concentrations of dissolved oxygen and other oxidative molecules to influence cell viability. This study highlights the importance of a priori knowledge of the concentration of dissolved oxygen at the time of plasma jet treatment, given the potential for significant impact on the biological or medical outcome. Monitoring and controlling the dynamic changes in dissolved oxygen is essential in order to develop effective strategies for the use of cold atmospheric plasma jets in biology and medicine.
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 04-03-2019
DOI: 10.1063/1.5086522
Abstract: Cold atmospheric pressure plasma jets (plasma) operated in ambient air provide a rich source of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), which are known to influence biological processes important in disease. In the plasma treatment of diseased tissue such as subcutaneous cancer tumors, plasma RONS need to first traverse an interface between the plasma-skin surface and second be transported to millimeter depths in order to reach deep-seated diseased cells. However, the mechanisms in the plasma generation of RONS within soft tissues are not understood. In this study, we track the plasma jet delivery of RONS into a tissue model target and we delineate two processes: through target delivery of RONS generated (primarily) in the plasma jet and in situ RONS generation by UV photolysis within the target. We demonstrate that UV photolysis promotes the rapid generation of RONS in the tissue model target's surface after which the RONS are transported to millimeter depths via a slower molecular process. Our results imply that the flux of UV photons from plasma jets is important for delivering RONS through seemingly impenetrable barriers such as skin. The findings have implications not only in treatments of living tissues but also in the functionalization of soft hydrated biomaterials such as hydrogels and extracellular matrix derived tissue scaffolds.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 24-01-2019
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 18-02-2014
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 20-09-2017
DOI: 10.1002/JBM.B.33999
Abstract: Functionalizing medical devices with polypeptides to enhance their performance has become important for improved clinical success. The extracellular matrix (ECM) adhesion protein vitronectin (VN) is an effective coating, although the chemistry used to attach VN often reduces its bioactivity. In vivo, VN binds the ECM in a sequence-dependent manner with heparan sulfate (HS) glycosaminoglycans. We reasoned therefore that sequence-based affinity chromatography could be used to isolate a VN-binding HS fraction (HS9) for use as a coating material to capture VN onto implant surfaces. Binding avidity and specificity of HS9 were confirmed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based assays. Plasma polymerization of allylamine (AA) to tissue culture-treated polystyrene (TCPS) was then used to capture and present HS9 as determined by radiolabeling and ELISA. HS9-coated TCPS avidly bound VN, and this layered surface supported the robust attachment, expansion, and maintenance of human pluripotent stem cells. Compositional analysis demonstrated that 6-O- and N-sulfation, as well as lengths greater than three disaccharide units (dp6) are critical for VN binding to HS-coated surfaces. Importantly, HS9 coating reduced the threshold concentration of VN required to create an optimally bioactive surface for pluripotent stem cells. We conclude that affinity-purified heparan sugars are able to coat materials to efficiently bind adhesive factors for biomedical applications. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 1887-1896, 2018.
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 12-11-2015
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Date: 2012
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 11-2006
DOI: 10.2527/JAS.2006-214
Abstract: Additive and nonadditive genetic effects on preweaning weight gain (PWG) of a commercial crossbred population were estimated using different genetic models and estimation methods. The data set consisted of 103,445 records on purebred and crossbred Nelore-Hereford calves raised under pasture conditions on farms located in south, southeast, and middle west Brazilian regions. In addition to breed additive and dominance effects, the models including different epistasis covariables were tested. Models considering joint additive and environment (latitude) by genetic effects interactions were also applied. In a first step, analyses were carried out under animal models. In a second step, preadjusted records were analyzed using ordinary least squares (OLS) and ridge regression (RR). The results reinforced evidence that breed additive and dominance effects are not sufficient to explain the observed variability in preweaning traits of Bos taurus x Bos indicus calves, and that genotype x environment interaction plays an important role in the evaluation of crossbred calves. Data were ill-conditioned to estimate the effects of genotype x environment interactions. Models including these effects presented multicolinearity problems. In this case, RR seemed to be a powerful tool for obtaining more plausible and stable estimates. Estimated prediction error variances and variance inflation factors were drastically reduced, and many effects that were not significant under ordinary least squares became significant under RR. Predictions of PWG based on RR estimates were more acceptable from a biological perspective. In temperate and subtropical regions, calves with intermediate genetic compositions (close to 1/2 Nelore) exhibited greater predicted PWG. In the tropics, predicted PWG increased linearly as genotype got closer to Nelore.
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 03-02-2017
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 02-08-2021
DOI: 10.1063/5.0062787
Abstract: Antibiotics are commonly used as the first line of defense in the treatment of infectious diseases. However, the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is rendering many antibiotics less effective. Consequently, effective non-antibiotic antimicrobial strategies are urgently needed to combat AMR. This paper presents a strategy utilizing cold plasma for the “on-demand” activation of acetyl donor molecules. The process generates an aqueous-based antimicrobial formulation comprising a rich mixture of highly oxidizing molecules: peracetic acid, hydrogen peroxide, and other reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. The synergistic potent oxidative action between these molecules is shown to be highly effective at eradicating common wound pathogenic bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus) and at inactivating a virus (SARS-CoV-2).
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2015
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 24-09-2020
Publisher: Technical Association of Photopolymers, Japan
Date: 2015
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-05-2013
Abstract: Knowledge of the linkage disequilibrium (LD) between markers is important to establish the number of markers necessary for association studies and genomic selection. The objective of this study was to evaluate the extent of LD in Nellore cattle using a high density SNP panel and 795 genotyped steers. After data editing, 446,986 SNPs were used for the estimation of LD, comprising 2508.4 Mb of the genome. The mean distance between adjacent markers was 4.90 ± 2.89 kb. The minor allele frequency (MAF) was less than 0.20 in a considerable proportion of SNPs. The overall mean LD between marker pairs measured by r 2 and |D'| was 0.17 and 0.52, respectively. The LD (r 2 ) decreased with increasing physical distance between markers from 0.34 (1 kb) to 0.11 (100 kb). In contrast to this clear decrease of LD measured by r 2 , the changes in |D'| indicated a less pronounced decline of LD. Chromosomes BTA1, BTA27, BTA28 and BTA29 showed lower levels of LD at any distance between markers. Except for these four chromosomes, the level of LD (r 2 ) was higher than 0.20 for markers separated by less than 20 kb. At distances 3 kb, the level of LD was higher than 0.30. The LD (r 2 ) between markers was higher when the MAF threshold was high (0.15), especially when the distance between markers was short. The level of LD estimated for markers separated by less than 30 kb indicates that the High Density Bovine SNP BeadChip will likely be a suitable tool for prediction of genomic breeding values in Nellore cattle.
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 15-06-2017
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1039/C7CP08166A
Abstract: The multiple roles hydrogen plays in depositing plasmas is investigated by addition of H 2 O and D 2 O to ethyltrimethylacetate plasmas.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 13-06-2013
Abstract: Birth weight (BW) is an economically important trait in beef cattle, and is associated with growth- and stature-related traits and calving difficulty. One region of the cattle genome, located on Bos primigenius taurus chromosome 14 (BTA14), has been previously shown to be associated with stature by multiple independent studies, and contains orthologous genes affecting human height. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) for BW in Brazilian Nellore cattle ( Bos primigenius indicus ) was performed using estimated breeding values (EBVs) of 654 progeny-tested bulls genotyped for over 777,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The most significant SNP (rs133012258, P GC = 1.34 × 10 -9 ), located at BTA14:25376827, explained 4.62% of the variance in BW EBVs. The surrounding 1 Mb region presented high identity with human, pig and mouse autosomes 8, 4 and 4, respectively, and contains the orthologous height genes PLAG1 , CHCHD7 , MOS , RPS20 , LYN , RDHE2 ( SDR16C5 ) and PENK . The region also overlapped 28 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) previously reported in literature by linkage mapping studies in cattle, including QTLs for birth weight, mature height, carcass weight, stature, pre-weaning average daily gain, calving ease, and gestation length. This study presents the first GWAS applying a high-density SNP panel to identify putative chromosome regions affecting birth weight in Nellore cattle. These results suggest that the QTLs on BTA14 associated with body size in taurine cattle ( Bos primigenius taurus ) also affect birth weight and size in zebu cattle ( Bos primigenius indicus ).
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 27-03-2014
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-12-2018
DOI: 10.1111/JBG.12369
Abstract: The objective of the present study was to investigate the impact of considering population structure in cow genotyping strategies over the accuracy and bias of genomic predictions. A small dairy cattle population was simulated to address these objectives. Based on four main traditional designs (random, top-yield, extreme-yield and top-accuracy cows), different numbers (1,000 2,000 and 5,000) of cows were s led and included in the reference population. Traditional designs were replicated considering or not population structure and compared among and with a reference population containing only bulls. The inclusion of cows increased accuracy in all scenarios compared with using only bulls. Scenarios accounting for population structure when choosing cows to the reference population slightly outperformed their traditional versions by yielding higher accuracy and lower bias in genomic predictions. Building a cow-based reference population from groups of related in iduals considering the frequency of in iduals from those same groups in the validation population yielded promising results with applications on selection for expensive- or difficult-to-measure traits. Methods here presented may be easily implemented in both new or already established breeding programs, as they improved prediction and reduced bias in genomic evaluations while demanding no additional costs.
Publisher: FapUNIFESP (SciELO)
Date: 07-2009
DOI: 10.1590/S1516-35982009000700006
Abstract: Por meio da utilização de um programa de acasalamento dirigido e de simulação de dados, foram avaliadas e comparadas estratégias alternativas de acasalamento para aumentar a probabilidade de produzir animais superiores e reduzir a variabilidade da progênie em bovinos. Simularam-se 50 populações, cada uma com 4.800 vacas, 160 touros e 4.800 produtos. Para cada vaca e touro simulados, gerou-se uma variável aleatória, seguindo distribuição normal, reproduzindo um índice composto por diferenças esperadas na progênie (DEP) de diferentes características a ser adotado como critério de seleção. As estratégias de acasalamento simuladas foram: AA - ao acaso AP - associativo positivo AN - associativo negativo C20 - associativo positivo para as vacas 20% superiores e associativo negativo para as 80% restantes C50 - associativo positivo para as vacas 50% superiores e associativo negativo para as 50% restantes. Os acasalamentos foram definidos com a utilização de um programa de acasalamentos dirigidos, calculando-se os índices esperados dos produtos e comparando as estratégias com base nestes índices. As estratégias de acasalamento alternativas, C20 e C50, apresentam probabilidades de produção de animais superiores tão altas quanto a do acasalamento associativo positivo e reduzem a probabilidade de produzir animais inferiores. O acasalamento associativo negativo é muito eficiente em produzir progênie uniforme.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 20-04-2018
DOI: 10.1093/JAS/SKY079
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 07-06-2017
Publisher: FapUNIFESP (SciELO)
Date: 06-2005
DOI: 10.1590/S1516-35982005000300012
Abstract: Dados de 16.592 animais da raça Gir, provenientes do controle de desenvolvimento ponderal da Associação Brasileira dos Criadores de Zebu, nascidos no período de 1978 a 1994, criados em ersas condições de ambiente no Brasil, foram usados para estimar parâmetros genéticos e ambientais das características ganho médio diário do nascimento à desmama (GMD) e dias para atingir 160 kg do nascimento à desmama (D160). As estimativas dos componentes de variância e herdabilidade foram obtidas pelo método da máxima verossimilhança restrita por modelos animais uni-característica. Foram utilizados dois modelos o modelo 1, com grupo de contemporâneos (GC) como efeito fixo e com efeitos genético aditivo de animal e materno, efeito de ambiente permanente materno e erro como aleatórios e modelo 2, com os mesmos efeitos do modelo 1, mas com covariância genética entre os efeitos direto e materno igual a zero (sigmaam=0). As estimativas de herdabilidade, utilizando-se o Modelo 1, foram iguais a 0,11 0,04 0,11 e 0,07 para GMD (efeito direto), GMD (efeito materno), D160 (efeito direto) e D160 (efeito materno), respectivamente. Para o Modelo 2, as estimativas de herdabilidade foram: 0,12 0,05 0,10 e 0,05 para GMD (efeito direto), GMD (efeito materno), D160 (efeito direto) e D160 (efeito materno). A diferença entre os modelos pela não inclusão da estrutura de covariância entre os efeitos direto e materno (sigmaam=0), neste trabalho, não foi significativa. A contribuição da variância residual (como porcentagem da variação fenotípica total) foi de 76% para GMD e de 80% para D160, para os dois modelos, indicando a necessidade da melhoria do ambiente de criação, assim como a padronização e formação de lotes de manejo, o que reflete na possibilidade de melhor definição de grupo de contemporâneos.
Publisher: FapUNIFESP (SciELO)
Date: 06-2005
DOI: 10.1590/S1516-35982005000300013
Abstract: A utilização de dois critérios de seleção na pré-desmama, ganho médio diário do nascimento à desmama (GMD) e dias para ganhar 160 kg do nascimento à desmama (D160), foi estudada, analisando-se informações de 16.592 animais, provenientes do controle de desenvolvimento ponderal da Associação Brasileira dos Criadores de Zebu, nascidos no período de 1978 a 1994. Foram incluídos no modelo o efeito fixo de grupo de contemporâneos e os efeitos aleatórios genético aditivo de animal e materno, de ambiente permanente materno e o erro. A covariância entre os efeitos direto e materno foi considerada igual a zero. As estimativas dos componentes de variância e herdabilidade foram obtidas pelo método da máxima verossimilhança restrita e os valores genéticos preditos (VGs), por modelos animais uni-característica. As estimativas de herdabilidade foram: 0,12 0,05 0,10 e 0,05 para GMD (efeito direto), GMD (efeito materno), D160 (efeito direto) e D160 (efeito materno), respectivamente. Foram estimadas a correlação genética entre GMD e D160 (efeito direto e materno) e a correlação de classificação (Spearman) entre os valores genéticos para as categorias de touros, vacas e bezerros. As estimativas de correlação genética entre GMD e D160 foram 0,86 e 0,88, para o efeito direto e materno, respectivamente. As estimativas de correlação de " rank" , também foram altas, entretanto, nenhuma foi igual a um, resultando em alterações na classificação dos animais. A relação entre as médias aritmética (A) e harmônica (H) e o desvio-padrão (S) do GMD ajustado para efeitos ambientais e maternos (GMDc) foi verificada utilizando-se um modelo restrito, sem intercepto, mediante as regressões linear e quadrática do S do GMDc sobre a diferença entre a média aritmética e média harmônica (A-H). Os resultados evidenciaram que, semelhantemente a H, o critério D160 apresentou a propriedade de discriminar touros com progênie mais uniforme.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-08-2015
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 05-08-2016
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-07-2014
DOI: 10.1007/S11250-014-0633-2
Abstract: The objective of a performance test station is to evaluate the performance of potential breeding bulls earlier in order to decrease the generation interval and increase genetic gain as well. This study evaluates the herd-of-origin influence on end-of-test weight (ETW), average daily weight gain during testing (ADG), average daily weight gain during the adjustment period (ADGadj), rib eye area (REA), marbling (MARB), subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT), conformation (C), early finishing (EF), muscling (M), navel (N) and temperament (T) scores, and scrotal circumference (SC) of Nellore cattle that underwent a performance test. We evaluated 664 animals that participated in the performance tests conducted at the Center for Performance CRV Lagoa between 2007 and 2012. Components of variance for each trait were estimated by an animal model (model 1), using the restricted maximum likelihood method. An alternative animal model (model 2) included, in addition to the fixed effects present in S1, the non-correlated random effect of herd-year (HY). A significant HY effect was observed on ETW, REA, SFT, ADGadj, C, and Cw (p < 0.05). The estimated heritability of all traits decreased when the HY effect was included in the model also, the bull rank, in deciles, changed significantly for traits ETW, REA, SFT, and C. The adjustment period did not completely remove the environmental effect of herd of origin on ETW, REA, SFT, and C. It is recommended that the herd-of-origin effect should be included in the statistical models used to predict the breeding values of the participants of these performance tests.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 2014
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 30-06-2016
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 16-10-2017
DOI: 10.1038/NATURE24471
Abstract: On 17 August 2017, the Advanced LIGO and Virgo detectors observed the gravitational-wave event GW170817-a strong signal from the merger of a binary neutron-star system. Less than two seconds after the merger, a γ-ray burst (GRB 170817A) was detected within a region of the sky consistent with the LIGO-Virgo-derived location of the gravitational-wave source. This sky region was subsequently observed by optical astronomy facilities, resulting in the identification of an optical transient signal within about ten arcseconds of the galaxy NGC 4993. This detection of GW170817 in both gravitational waves and electromagnetic waves represents the first 'multi-messenger' astronomical observation. Such observations enable GW170817 to be used as a 'standard siren' (meaning that the absolute distance to the source can be determined directly from the gravitational-wave measurements) to measure the Hubble constant. This quantity represents the local expansion rate of the Universe, sets the overall scale of the Universe and is of fundamental importance to cosmology. Here we report a measurement of the Hubble constant that combines the distance to the source inferred purely from the gravitational-wave signal with the recession velocity inferred from measurements of the redshift using the electromagnetic data. In contrast to previous measurements, ours does not require the use of a cosmic 'distance ladder': the gravitational-wave analysis can be used to estimate the luminosity distance out to cosmological scales directly, without the use of intermediate astronomical distance measurements. We determine the Hubble constant to be about 70 kilometres per second per megaparsec. This value is consistent with existing measurements, while being completely independent of them. Additional standard siren measurements from future gravitational-wave sources will enable the Hubble constant to be constrained to high precision.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2004
Publisher: Revista Brasileira de Zootecnia
Date: 2020
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-12-2017
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-017-17127-1
Abstract: The recent evolution of cattle is marked by fluctuations in body size. Height in the Bos taurus lineage was reduced by a factor of ~1.5 from the Neolithic to the Middle Ages, and increased again only during the Early Modern Ages. Using haplotype analysis, we found evidence that the bovine PLAG1 mutation ( Q ) with major effects on body size, weight and reproduction is a ,000 years old derived allele that increased rapidly in frequency in Northwestern European B. taurus between the 16 th and 18 th centuries. Towards the 19 th and 20 th centuries, Q was introgressed into non-European B. taurus and Bos indicus breeds. These data implicate a major role of Q in recent changes in body size in modern cattle, and represent one of the first ex les of a genomic sweep in livestock that was driven by selection on a complex trait.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2011
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 09-2016
Abstract: Animal feeding is the most important economic component of beef production systems. Selection for feed efficiency has not been effective mainly due to difficult and high costs to obtain the phenotypes. The application of genomic selection using SNP can decrease the cost of animal evaluation as well as the generation interval. The objective of this study was to compare methods for genomic evaluation of feed efficiency traits using different cross-validation layouts in an experimental beef cattle population genotyped for a high-density SNP panel (BovineHD BeadChip assay 700k, Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA). After quality control, a total of 437,197 SNP genotypes were available for 761 Nelore animals from the Institute of Animal Science, Sertãozinho, São Paulo, Brazil. The studied traits were residual feed intake, feed conversion ratio, ADG, and DMI. Methods of analysis were traditional BLUP, single-step genomic BLUP (ssGBLUP), genomic BLUP (GBLUP), and a Bayesian regression method (BayesCπ). Direct genomic values (DGV) from the last 2 methods were compared directly or in an index that combines DGV with parent average. Three cross-validation approaches were used to validate the models: 1) YOUNG, in which the partition into training and testing sets was based on year of birth and testing animals were born after 2010 2) UNREL, in which the data set was split into 3 less related subsets and the validation was done in each subset a time and 3) RANDOM, in which the data set was randomly ided into 4 subsets (considering the contemporary groups) and the validation was done in each subset at a time. On average, the RANDOM design provided the most accurate predictions. Average accuracies ranged from 0.10 to 0.58 using BLUP, from 0.09 to 0.48 using GBLUP, from 0.06 to 0.49 using BayesCπ, and from 0.22 to 0.49 using ssGBLUP. The most accurate and consistent predictions were obtained using ssGBLUP for all analyzed traits. The ssGBLUP seems to be more suitable to obtain genomic predictions for feed efficiency traits on an experimental population of genotyped animals.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-12-2020
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 2013
Abstract: Genetic correlations of selection indices and the traits considered in these indices with mature weight (MW) of Nelore females and correlated responses were estimated to determine whether current selection practices will result in an undesired correlated response in MW. Genetic trends for weaning and yearling indices and MW were also estimated. Data from 612,244 Nelore animals born between 1984 and 2010, belonging to different beef cattle evaluation programs from Brazil and Paraguay, were used. The following traits were studied: weaning conformation (WC), weaning precocity (WP), weaning muscling (WM), yearling conformation (YC), yearling precocity (YP), yearling muscling (YM), weaning and yearling indices, BW gain from birth to weaning (BWG), postweaning BW gain (PWG), scrotal circumference (SC), and MW. The variance and covariance components were estimated by Bayesian inference in a multitrait analysis, including all traits in the same analysis, using a nonlinear (threshold) animal model for visual scores and a linear animal model for the other traits. The mean direct heritabilities were 0.21±0.007 (WC), 0.22±0.007 (WP), 0.20±0.007 (WM), 0.43±0.005 (YC), 0.40±0.005 (YP), 0.40±0.005 (YM), 0.17±0.003 (BWG), 0.21±0.004 (PWG), 0.32±0.001 (SC), and 0.44±0.018 (MW). The genetic correlations between MW and weaning and yearling indices were positive and of medium magnitude (0.30±0.01 and 0.31±0.01, respectively). The genetic changes in weaning index, yearling index, and MW, expressed as units of genetic SD per year, were 0.26, 0.27, and 0.01, respectively. The genetic trend for MW was nonsignificant, suggesting no negative correlated response. The selection practice based on the use of sires with high final index giving preference for those better ranked for yearling precocity and muscling than for conformation generates only a minimal correlated response in MW.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-2016
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 20-02-2019
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 12-2012
Abstract: Number of calvings at 53 mo (NC53) was proposed as an alternative selection criterion to improve productive longevity of Nellore cows. This study was carried out to estimate variance components for NC53 by assuming different models, so that the potential for using this selection criterion to improve fertility of Nellore cows could be assessed. Genetic correlations between NC53, number of calvings at 89 mo (NC89), and 2 selection indexes used in this breed were also estimated. The NC53 trait is moderately heritable (posterior mean heritability ≈ 0.17) and selecting for this criterion could improve productive longevity of Nellore cows. Greater response to selection is expected by fitting a threshold animal model for this trait, rather than a linear animal model. Greater accuracy of prediction for this criterion could be achieved by fitting a threshold-linear model, considering this trait and a selection index composed by traits evaluated at weaning and long-yearling.
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 07-09-2015
DOI: 10.1063/1.4930874
Abstract: The influence of protein and molecular, ground state oxygen (O2) on the plasma generation, and transport of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) in tissue are investigated. A tissue target, comprising a 1 mm thick gelatin film (a surrogate for real tissue), is placed on top of a 96-well plate each well is filled with phosphate buffered saline (PBS, pH 7.4) containing one fluorescent or colorimetric reporter that is specific for one of three RONS (i.e., H2O2, NO2−, or OH•) or a broad spectrum reactive oxygen species reporter (2,7-dichlorodihydrofluorescein). A helium cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) jet contacts the top of the gelatin surface, and the concentrations of RONS generated in PBS are measured on a microplate reader. The data show that H2O2, NO2−, or OH• are generated in PBS underneath the target. Independently, measurements are made of the O2 concentration in the PBS with and without the gelatin target. Adding bovine serum albumin protein to the PBS or gelatin shows that protein either raises or inhibits RONS depending upon the O2 concentration. Our results are discussed in the context of plasma-soft tissue interactions that are important in the development of CAP technology for medicine, biology, and food manufacturing.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-02-2015
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 16-08-2018
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 17-09-2015
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-08-2015
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 08-08-2018
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-01-2017
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 29-01-2016
Publisher: FapUNIFESP (SciELO)
Date: 2007
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2014
DOI: 10.1039/C4BM00018H
Abstract: The cooperative effects of FGF-2, surface bound heparin and plasma polymer, produce a biologically active surface which increases the half-life of FGF-2. The production of this surface is simple and requires no chemical cross-linking.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2022
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-02-2014
DOI: 10.1007/S10856-014-5163-Y
Abstract: Age related macular degeneration of the eye is brought about by damage to the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and is a major cause of adult blindness. One potential treatment method is transplantation of RPE cells grown in vitro. Maintaining RPE cell viability and physiological function in vitro is a challenge, and this must also be achieved using materials that can be subsequently used to deliver an intact cell sheet into the eye. In this paper, plasma polymerisation has been used to develop a chemically modified surface for maintaining RPE cells in vitro. Multiwell plates modified with a plasma copolymer of allylamine and octadiene maintained RPE cell growth at a level similar to that of TCPS. However, the addition of bound glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) to the plasma polymerised surface significantly enhanced RPE proliferation. Simply adding GAG to the culture media had no positive effect. It is shown that a combination of plasma polymer and GAG is a promising method for developing suitable surfaces for cell growth and delivery, that can be applied to any substrate material.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 10-2016
Abstract: Carcass traits measured after slaughter are economically relevant traits in beef cattle. In general, the slaughter house payment system is based on HCW. Ribeye area (REA) is associated with the amount of the meat in the carcass, and a minimum of backfat thickness (BFT) is necessary to protect the carcass during cooling. The aim of this study was to identify potential genomic regions harboring candidate genes affecting those traits in Nellore cattle. The data set used in the present study consisted of 1,756 Nellore males with phenotype records. A subset of 1,604 animals had both genotypic and phenotypic information. Genotypes were generated based on a panel with 777,962 SNPs from the Illumina Bovine HD chip. The SNP effects were calculated based on the genomic breeding values obtained by using the single-step GBLUP approach and a genomic matrix re-weighting procedure. The proportion of the variance explained by moving windows of 100 consecutive SNPs was used to assess potential genomic regions harboring genes with major effects on each trait. The top 10 non-overlapping SNP-windows explained 8.72%, 11.38%, and 9.31% of the genetic variance for REA, BFT, and HCW, respectively. These windows are located on chromosomes 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 20, and 29 for REA chromosomes 6, 8, 10, 13, 16, 17, 18, and 24 for BFT and chromosomes 4, 6, 7, 8, 14, 16, 17, and 21 for HCW. For REA, there were identified genes ( and ) involved in the cell cycle biological process which affects many aspects of animal growth and development. The and genes, both from AA transporter family, was also associated with REA. The AA transporters are essential for cell growth and proliferation, acting as carriers of tissue nutrient supplies. Various genes identified for BFT (, , , , , and ) have been associated with lipid metabolism in different mammal species. One of the most promising genes identified for HCW was the . There is evidence, in the literature, that this gene is located in putative QTL affecting carcass weight in beef cattle. Our results showed several genomic regions containing plausible candidate genes that may be associated with carcass traits in Nellore cattle. Besides contributing to a better understanding of the genetic control of carcass traits, the identified genes can also be helpful for further functional genomic studies.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 14-08-2019
DOI: 10.1111/JBG.12429
Abstract: The aim of this study was to identify candidate regions associated with sexual precocity in Bos indicus. Nellore and Brahman were set as validation and discovery populations, respectively. SNP selected in Brahman to validate in Nellore were from gene regions affecting reproductive traits (G1) and significant SNP (p ≤ 10
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 20-06-2019
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2018
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 16-04-2015
Publisher: Technical Association of Photopolymers, Japan
Date: 2017
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.JCYT.2017.11.004
Abstract: This review aims to provide a broad introduction to the use of cell sheets and the role of materials in the delivery of cell sheets to patients within a clinical setting. Traditionally, cells sheets have been, and currently are, fabricated using established and accepted cell culture methods within standard formats (e.g., petri dishes) utilizing biological substrates. Synthetic surfaces provide a far more versatile system for culturing and delivering cell sheets. This has the potential to positively affect quality, and efficient, localized cell delivery has a significant impact on patient outcome and on the overall cost of goods. We highlight current applications of these advanced carriers and future applications of these surfaces and cell sheets with an emphasis both on clinical use and regulatory requirements.
Publisher: FapUNIFESP (SciELO)
Date: 07-2002
DOI: 10.1590/S1516-35982002000700010
Abstract: O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar, por meio de dados simulados, o efeito da heterogeneidade de variância residual entre grupos de contemporâneos (GC) sobre as avaliações genéticas de bovinos de corte, e comparar o uso de uma avaliação genética ponderada (R FONT FACE=Symbol ¹ /FONT Isigmae²) em relação à avaliação que pressupõe homogeneidade de variância (R=Isigmae²). A característica estudada foi ganho de peso pós-desmame corrigido para 345 dias, sendo esta simulada com variância fenotípica de 300 kg² e herdabilidade igual a 0,4. A estrutura de um conjunto real de dados foi utilizada para fornecer os GC e os pais referentes às observações de cada animal. Cinco níveis de heterogeneidade de variância residual foram considerados de forma que os componentes de variância fossem, na média, iguais aos da situação de homogeneidade de variância. Na medida em que níveis mais acentuados de heterogeneidade de variância residual foram considerados, os animais foram selecionados dos GC com maior variabilidade, especialmente com pressão de seleção intensa. Em relação à consistência de predição, os produtos e as vacas tiveram seus valores genéticos preditos mais afetados pela heterogeneidade de variância residual do que os touros. O fator de ponderação utilizado reduziu, mas não eliminou o efeito da heterogeneidade de variância. As avaliações genéticas ponderadas apresentaram resultados iguais ou superiores àqueles obtidos pelas avaliações que assumiram homogeneidade de variância. Mesmo quando não necessário, o uso de avaliações ponderadas produziu resultados não inferiores às avaliações que assumiram homogeneidade de variância.
Publisher: American Dairy Science Association
Date: 07-2015
Abstract: Genotype imputation is widely used as a cost-effective strategy in genomic evaluation of cattle. Key determinants of imputation accuracies, such as linkage disequilibrium patterns, marker densities, and ascertainment bias, differ between Bos indicus and Bos taurus breeds. Consequently, there is a need to investigate effectiveness of genotype imputation in indicine breeds. Thus, the objective of the study was to investigate strategies and factors affecting the accuracy of genotype imputation in Gyr (Bos indicus) dairy cattle. Four imputation scenarios were studied using 471 sires and 1,644 dams genotyped on Illumina BovineHD (HD-777K San Diego, CA) and BovineSNP50 (50K) chips, respectively. Scenarios were based on which reference high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) panel (HDP) should be adopted [HD-777K, 50K, and GeneSeek GGP-75Ki (Lincoln, NE)]. Depending on the scenario, validation animals had their genotypes masked for one of the lower-density panels: Illumina (3K, 7K, and 50K) and GeneSeek (SGGP-20Ki and GGP-75Ki). We randomly selected 171 sires as reference and 300 as validation for all the scenarios. Additionally, all sires were used as reference and the 1,644 dams were imputed for validation. Genotypes of 98 in iduals with 4 and more offspring were completely masked and imputed. Imputation algorithms FImpute and Beagle v3.3 and v4 were used. Imputation accuracies were measured using the correlation and allelic correct rate. FImpute resulted in highest accuracies, whereas Beagle 3.3 gave the least-accurate imputations. Accuracies evaluated as correlation (allelic correct rate) ranged from 0.910 (0.942) to 0.961 (0.974) using 50K as HDP and with 3K (7K) as low-density panels. With GGP-75Ki as HDP, accuracies were moderate for 3K, 7K, and 50K, but high for SGGP-20Ki. The use of HD-777K as HDP resulted in accuracies of 0.888 (3K), 0.941 (7K), 0.980 (SGGP-20Ki), 0.982 (50K), and 0.993 (GGP-75Ki). Ungenotyped in iduals were imputed with an average accuracy of 0.970. The average top 5 kinship coefficients between reference and imputed in iduals was a strong predictor of imputation accuracy. FImpute was faster and used less memory than Beagle v4. Beagle v4 outperformed Beagle v3.3 in accuracy and speed of computation. A genotyping strategy that uses the HD-777K SNP chip as a reference panel and SGGP-20Ki as the lower-density SNP panel should be adopted as accuracy was high and similar to that of the 50K. However, the effect of using imputed HD-777K genotypes from the SGGP-20Ki on genomic evaluation is yet to be studied.
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Date: 04-2022
Abstract: On 2019 August 14 at 21:10:39 UTC, the LIGO/Virgo Collaboration (LVC) detected a possible neutron star–black hole merger (NSBH), the first ever identified. An extensive search for an optical counterpart of this event, designated GW190814, was undertaken using the Dark Energy Camera on the 4 m Victor M. Blanco Telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory. Target of Opportunity interrupts were issued on eight separate nights to observe 11 candidates using the 4.1 m Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) telescope’s Goodman High Throughput Spectrograph in order to assess whether any of these transients was likely to be an optical counterpart of the possible NSBH merger. Here, we describe the process of observing with SOAR, the analysis of our spectra, our spectroscopic typing methodology, and our resultant conclusion that none of the candidates corresponded to the gravitational wave merger event but were all instead other transients. Finally, we describe the lessons learned from this effort. Application of these lessons will be critical for a successful community spectroscopic follow-up program for LVC observing run 4 (O4) and beyond.
Publisher: American Dairy Science Association
Date: 07-2017
Abstract: Genomic selection may accelerate genetic progress in breeding programs of indicine breeds when compared with traditional selection methods. We present results of genomic predictions in Gyr (Bos indicus) dairy cattle of Brazil for milk yield (MY), fat yield (FY), protein yield (PY), and age at first calving using information from bulls and cows. Four different single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chips were studied. Additionally, the effect of the use of imputed data on genomic prediction accuracy was studied. A total of 474 bulls and 1,688 cows were genotyped with the Illumina BovineHD (HD San Diego, CA) and BovineSNP50 (50K) chip, respectively. Genotypes of cows were imputed to HD using FImpute v2.2. After quality check of data, 496,606 markers remained. The HD markers present on the GeneSeek SGGP-20Ki (15,727 Lincoln, NE), 50K (22,152), and GeneSeek GGP-75Ki (65,018) were subset and used to assess the effect of lower SNP density on accuracy of prediction. Deregressed breeding values were used as pseudophenotypes for model training. Data were split into reference and validation to mimic a forward prediction scheme. The reference population consisted of animals whose birth year was ≤2004 and consisted of either only bulls (TR1) or a combination of bulls and dams (TR2), whereas the validation set consisted of younger bulls (born after 2004). Genomic BLUP was used to estimate genomic breeding values (GEBV) and reliability of GEBV (R
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 17-04-2015
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 2017
DOI: 10.2527/JAS2016.1327
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 05-2016
Abstract: The objective of this study was to determine whether visual scores used as selection criteria in Nellore breeding programs are effective indicators of carcass traits measured after slaughter. Additionally, this study evaluated the effect of different structures of the relationship matrix ( and ) on the estimation of genetic parameters and on the prediction accuracy of breeding values. There were 13,524 animals for visual scores of conformation (CS), finishing precocity (FP), and muscling (MS) and 1,753, 1,747, and 1,564 for LM area (LMA), backfat thickness (BF), and HCW, respectively. Of these, 1,566 animals were genotyped using a high-density panel containing 777,962 SNP. Six analyses were performed using multitrait animal models, each including the 3 visual scores and 1 carcass trait. For the visual scores, the model included direct additive genetic and residual random effects and the fixed effects of contemporary group (defined by year of birth, management group at yearling, and farm) and the linear effect of age of animal at yearling. The same model was used for the carcass traits, replacing the effect of age of animal at yearling with the linear effect of age of animal at slaughter. The variance and covariance components were estimated by the REML method in analyses using the numerator relationship matrix () or combining the genomic and the numerator relationship matrices (). The heritability estimates for the visual scores obtained with the 2 methods were similar and of moderate magnitude (0.23-0.34), indicating that these traits should response to direct selection. The heritabilities for LMA, BF, and HCW were 0.13, 0.07, and 0.17, respectively, using matrix and 0.29, 0.16, and 0.23, respectively, using matrix . The genetic correlations between the visual scores and carcass traits were positive, and higher correlations were generally obtained when matrix was used. Considering the difficulties and cost of measuring carcass traits postmortem, visual scores of CS, FP, and MS could be used as selection criteria to improve HCW, BF, and LMA. The use of genomic information permitted the detection of greater additive genetic variability for LMA and BF. For HCW, the high magnitude of the genetic correlations with visual scores was probably sufficient to recover genetic variability. The methods provided similar breeding value accuracies, especially for the visual scores.
Publisher: Hindawi Limited
Date: 12-05-2017
DOI: 10.1111/ARE.13365
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1093/JAS/SKX006
Publisher: FapUNIFESP (SciELO)
Date: 12-2009
DOI: 10.1590/S1516-35982009001200011
Abstract: Desenvolveu-se um estudo de simulação estocástica com o objetivo de verificar as consequências do uso combinado de acasalamento dirigido e sêmen sexado em uma população de bovinos de corte sob seleção. Simularam-se seis gerações de seleção para três cenários de acasalamento e uso de sêmen sexado. O primeiro cenário foi caracterizado por acasalamento aleatório e uso exclusivo de sêmen convencional. O segundo cenário caracterizou-se pelo uso de acasalamento associativo positivo nas 40% melhores vacas e acasalamento associativo negativo nas demais, sem uso de sêmen sexado. O terceiro cenário seguiu o mesmo procedimento de acasalamento do segundo, combinando-o com uso de sêmen sexado nas vacas submetidas a acasalamento associativo positivo. O acasalamento associativo positivo teve maior impacto no progresso genético que o uso de sêmen sexado, apesar de ter aumentado a incidência de endogamia na população. O uso de acasalamento associativo negativo foi ineficiente em reduzir a variabilidade dos animais destinados ao abate. O uso combinado de acasalmento associativo positivo e sêmen sexado aumentou a produção de animais geneticamente superiores.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 25-01-2016
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 14-01-2019
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2018
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 21-07-2018
DOI: 10.1093/JAS/SKY289
Publisher: FapUNIFESP (SciELO)
Date: 02-2009
DOI: 10.1590/S1516-35982009000200010
Abstract: Objetivou-se com este estudo comparar a seleção com base no ganho médio diário de peso na pré-desmama (GMD) e no número de dias para ganhar 160 kg nessa fase (D160), com e sem correção para efeitos de grupos de contemporâneos (GC), em bovinos da raça Guzerá. Utilizou-se o banco de dados de desenvolvimento ponderal da Associação Brasileira de Criadores de Zebu (ABCZ) para esta raça. A obtenção dos parâmetros e valores genéticos foi feita pelo método da máxima verossimilhança restrita utilizando-se modelo unicaracterístico com equações de modelos mistos. O modelo utilizado foi composto pelo efeito fixo de grupo genético e pelos efeitos aleatórios, genético aditivo direto e de ambiente permanente, além do erro residual. A média para D160 foi de 270,5 dias e para GMD, 642,3 g. As correlações de Spearman entre ganho médio diário e a precocidade em dias para ganhar 160 kg na pré-desmama (PD160), e GMD e PD160c (PD160 corrigido para o efeito de grupo de contemporâneo), foram iguais a 0,91 e 0,94, respectivamente. A seleção para PD160 favorece touros que produzem progênie com desempenho superior e menos variável e a padronização deste critério com base no grupo de contemporâneos melhorou sua eficiência. A classificação dos touros varia de acordo com o critério de seleção utilizado, GMD ou PD160, principalmente nos extremos, onde ocorrem seleção e descarte de reprodutores.
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1039/C9CP03520F
Abstract: The combination of phospholipid vesicle experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations illustrate how lipid oxidation, lipid packing and rafts formation may influence the response of healthy and diseased cell membranes to plasma-derived RONS.
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 21-08-2014
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-11-2018
DOI: 10.1007/S10709-017-9999-1
Abstract: Simulation studies allow addressing consequences of selection schemes, helping to identify effective strategies to enable genetic gain and maintain genetic ersity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term impact of genomic selection (GS) in genetic progress and genetic ersity of beef cattle. Forward-in-time simulation generated a population with pattern of linkage disequilibrium close to that previously reported for real beef cattle populations. Different scenarios of GS and traditional pedigree-based BLUP (PBLUP) selection were simulated for 15 generations, mimicking selection for female reproduction and meat quality. For GS scenarios, an alternative selection criterion was simulated (wGBLUP), intended to enhance long-term gains by attributing more weight to favorable alleles with low frequency. GS allowed genetic progress up to 40% greater than PBLUP, for female reproduction and meat quality. The alternative criterion wGBLUP did not increase long-term response, although allowed reducing inbreeding rates and loss of favorable alleles. The results suggest that GS outperforms PBLUP when the selected trait is under less polygenic background and that attributing more weight to low-frequency favorable alleles can reduce inbreeding rates and loss of favorable alleles in GS.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2015
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 14-07-2018
DOI: 10.1093/JAS/SKY284
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2014
Publisher: Begell House
Date: 2015
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2018
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 10-2020
DOI: 10.1136/BMJGH-2020-003328
Abstract: Water fetching for household needs can cause injury, but documentation of the burden of harm globally has been limited. We described the frequency, characteristics and correlates of water-fetching injuries in 24 sites in 21 low-income and middle-income countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean. In a survey of 6291 randomly selected households, respondents reported whether and how they had experienced water-fetching injuries. Responses were coded for injury type, mechanism, bodily location and physical context. We then identified correlates of injury using a multilevel, mixed-effects logistic regression model. Thirteen per cent of respondents reported at least one water-fetching injury. Of 879 injuries, fractures and dislocations were the most commonly specified type (29.2%), and falls were the most commonly specified mechanism (76.4%). Where specified, 61.1% of injuries occurred to the lower limbs, and dangerous terrain (69.4%) was the most frequently reported context. Significant correlates included being female (aOR=1.50, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.96) rural (aOR=4.80, 95% CI 2.83 to 8.15) or periurban residence (aOR=2.75, 95% CI 1.64 to 4.60) higher household water insecurity scores (aOR=1.09, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.10) and reliance on surface water (aOR=1.97, 95% CI 1.21 to 3.22) or off-premise water sources that required queueing (aOR=1.72, 95% CI 1.19 to 2.49). These data suggest that water-fetching injuries are an underappreciated and largely unmeasured public health challenge. We offer guidelines for comprehensive data collection on injuries to better capture the true burden of inadequate water access. Such data can guide the design of interventions to reduce injury risk and promote equitable water access solutions.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 26-09-2022
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-03-2016
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 12-2016
Abstract: Principal component analysis was applied to evaluate the variability and relationships among univariate breeding values predicted for 9 weaning and yearling traits, as well as suggest functions of the traits that would promote a particular breeding objective. Phenotypic and pedigree information from 600,132 Nelore animals was used. Genetic parameters and breeding values were obtained from univariate analyses of birth to weaning weight gain weaning to yearling weight gain conformation, finishing precocity, and muscling scores at weaning and at yearling and yearling scrotal circumference. The principal component mainly associated with maturity (precocious vs. late animals) was used as a pseudophenotype in bivariate analyses with either adult weight or adult height of cows. Direct heritability estimates ranging from 0.19 ± 0.01 to 0.41 ± 0.01 indicate that these 9 traits are all heritable to varying degrees. Correlations between the breeding values for the various traits ranged from 0.14 to 0.88. Principal component analysis was performed on the standardized breeding values. The first 3 principal components attained the Kaiser criterion, retaining 48.06%, 18.03%, and 12.97% of the total breeding value variance, respectively. The first component was characterized by positive coefficients for all traits. The second component contrasted weaning traits with yearling traits. The third component represented a contrast between late maturity animals (better for weight gain and conformation) and early maturity animals (better for finishing precocity, muscling, and scrotal circumference). Thus, the first 3 components represent 3 different potential selection criteria. Selecting for the first principal component would identify animals with positive breeding values for all studied traits. The second principal component may be used to identify animals with higher or lower maturation rates (precocity). Animals with negative values in the third principal component are regarded as early maturing. Genetic correlations between maturity (third principal component) with adult weight and adult height were 0.19 ± 0.02 and 0.32 ± 0.02, respectively. These results showed that the weaning and yearling bovine maturity is genetically associated with the adult size of the cows used in reproduction.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2019
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 13-07-2016
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 10-10-2014
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 11-11-2019
DOI: 10.1021/ACS.JPCLETT.9B02855
Abstract: Deposition chemistry from plasma is highly dependent on both the chemistry of the ions arriving at surfaces and the ion energy. Typically, when measuring the energy distribution of ions arriving at surfaces from plasma, it is assumed that the distributions are the same for all ionic species. Using ethyl acetate as a representative organic precursor molecule, we have measured the ion chemistry and ion energy as a function of pressure and power. We show that at low pressure (<2 Pa) this assumption is valid however, at elevated pressures ion-molecule collisions close to the deposition surface affect both the energy and chemistry of these ions. Smaller ions are formed close to the surface and have lower energy than larger ionic species which are formed in the bulk of the plasma. The changes in plasma chemistry therefore are closely linked to the physics of the plasma-surface interface.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 31-05-2017
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.THERIOGENOLOGY.2018.10.014
Abstract: The objective of this study was to assess the accuracy of genomic predictions for female reproductive traits in Nellore cattle. A total of 1853 genotyped cows and 305,348 SNPs were used for genomic selection analyses. GBLUP, BAYESCπ, and IBLASSO were applied to estimate SNP effects. The pseudo-phenotypes used as dependent variables were: observed phenotype (PHEN), adjusted phenotype (CPHEN), estimated breeding value (EBV), and deregressed estimated breeding value (DEBV). Predictive abilities were assessed by the average correlation between CPHEN and genomic estimated breeding value (GEBV) and by the average correlation between DEBV and GEBV in the validation population. Regression coefficients of pseudo-phenotypes on GEBV in the validation population were indicators of prediction bias in GEBV. BAYESCπ showed higher predictive ability to estimate SNP effects and GEBV for all traits.
Location: Brazil
Location: Australia
Start Date: 2013
End Date: 2016
Funder: National Council for Scientific and Technological Development
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 2019
End Date: 2022
Funder: National Council for Scientific and Technological Development
View Funded Activity