scholarly journals Genetic Estimates for Growth and Shape-Related Traits in the Flatfish Senegalese Sole

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1206
Author(s):  
Israel Guerrero-Cozar ◽  
Eduardo Jimenez-Fernandez ◽  
Concha Berbel ◽  
Elena Espinosa ◽  
Manuel Gonzalo Claros ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Traits ◽  
Genetic Correlations ◽  
Body Height ◽  
Solea Senegalensis ◽  
Production Cycle ◽  
Maximum Height ◽  
Senegalese Sole ◽  
Phenotypic Data ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Very High

Shape quality is very important in flatfish aquaculture due to the impact on commercialization. The Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) is a valuable flatfish with a highly elliptic body that slightly changes with age and size, and it is prone to accumulating malformations during the production cycle. The present study aims to investigate the genetic parameters of two growth traits (weight and standard length) and six shape quality predictors (ellipticity, three body heights (body height at the pectoral fin base [BHP], body maximum height [BMH] and caudal peduncle height [CPH]) and two ratios (BMH/BHP and BMH/CPH)). These traits were measured before the on-growing stage (age ~400 days (d)) and at harvest (~800 d). Phenotypic data, heritabilities and genetic and phenotypic correlations between the traits are presented and discussed. High or very high heritabilities (0.433–0.774) were found for growth traits, body heights and ellipticity and they were higher at 400 than 800 d. In contrast, the ratios of BMH/BHP and BMH/CPH were less heritable (0.144–0.306). Positive and very high (>0.95) correlations between growth traits and the three heights were found and decreased with age. In contrast, ellipticity had negative and medium-high genetic correlations with growth traits and heights, indicating fish selected for bigger size would also become rounder. The ratio of BMH/CPH showed low genetic correlations with all traits and provided complementary information to ellipticity for a better fitting to the expected lanceolate body morphology of sole. The genetic correlations for all traits at both ages were very high, indicating that selection before entering the growth-out stage in recirculation aquaculture systems is recommended to accelerate genetic gains.

scholarly journals Ecogenetic plasticity and genetic variation in Populus hybrids under the impact of simulated climate change related stressors

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Valda Gudynaitė-Franckevičienė ◽  
Alfas Pliūra ◽  
Vytautas Suchockas
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Growth Traits ◽  
Genotypic Variation ◽  
Genetic Correlations ◽  
Summer Drought ◽  
Environment Interaction ◽  
Substantial Impact ◽  
Spring Frosts ◽  
The Impact

  To meet the needs of carbon sequestration and production of raw materials from renewable natural resources for the timber market of the European Union, it is necessary to expand forest plantation areas. The efficiency of short rotation forestry depends primarily on the selection of hybrids and clones, suitable for the local environmental conditions. We postulate that ecogenetic response, ecogenetic plasticity and genotypic variation of different hybrids of poplars (Populus L.) depend both on the type of stressors (spring frosts, summer drought, increased UV-B radiation, warm winters) and peculiarities of the cross-bred species as well as on their genetic preadaptations to native environmental conditions of their origin. The aim of the study was to estimate the ecogenetic plasticity, genotypic variation of adaptive traits and adaptability of Populus hybrids under simulated conditions of the expected climate change. The research was performed with the cultivars and experimental clones of three different intraspecific hybrids of poplars (P. nigra L., P. deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh, and P. trichocarpa Torr. & Gray.) and four interspecific hybrids of poplars (P. deltoides L. × P. nigra, P. deltoides × P. trichocarpa, P. maximowiczii A. Henry × P. trichocarpa, and P. balsamifera L. × P. trichocarpa). Simulated spring frosts and summer drought treatments had a substantial impact on growth of trees, but the hybrid and clone effects were also significant and showed that many hybrids and clones in general retain their features/differences under stressful environmental conditions. A strongly expressed hybrid and clone interactions with simulated frost and drought effects (genotype-environment interaction, G × E) and not strong B-type genetic correlations of the parameters of the same hybrids and clones across different treatments showed different ecogenetic response, plasticity and specific ecological preferences of the clones and hybrids. The sensitivity of hybrids to UV-B radiation varied and depended on the origin of their parental trees and this sensitivity partially reflected their susceptibility also to other stressors. Warm winters adversely effected the growth of some hybrids while others - P. nigra × P. nigra and P. trichocarpa × P. trichocarpa, which parents originated from the southern part of their natural distribution range have increased their growth. This treatment also resulted in reduction of the heritability and genotypic variation of growth traits

scholarly journals Do Prospective Teachers Care About PISA Studies? A Pilot Study among University Students in Germany

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Ioannidou ◽  
Despoina Georgiou ◽  
Andreas Obersteiner ◽  
Nilufer Deniz Bas ◽  
Christine Mieslinger
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
University Students ◽  
Prospective Teachers ◽  
International Student ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Very High ◽  
Expected Outcomes

The results of international comparison studies such as the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) have initiated intense discussions about educational reforms in Germany. Although in-service and pre-service teachers are an essential part of such reforms, little is known about their attitudes towards PISA studies. The present study aims to fill this gap through the investigation of pre-service teachers’ awareness, interest, perception, and attitudes towards PISA. A questionnaire was used to survey a sample of 107 university students who were participating in a teacher education program. The results reveal that 100% of the participants are aware of PISA. Nearly 69% of the participants think that the impact of PISA is rather high or very high, while 41% of them believe that PISA results are reliable. Accordingly, half of the participants seem to be interested in PISA results for their country. The present study discusses these findings in the light of the expected outcomes as proposed in standards for teacher education.

scholarly journals Trends in genetic diversity and the effect of inbreeding in American Angus cattle under genomic selection

2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel A. Lozada-Soto ◽  
Christian Maltecca ◽  
Duc Lu ◽  
Stephen Miller ◽  
John B. Cole ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Beef Cattle ◽  
Genomic Selection ◽  
Inbreeding Depression ◽  
Growth Traits ◽  
Effective Population ◽  
Angus Cattle ◽  
Genomic Inbreeding ◽  
Chromosome Segments ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background While the adoption of genomic evaluations in livestock has increased genetic gain rates, its effects on genetic diversity and accumulation of inbreeding have raised concerns in cattle populations. Increased inbreeding may affect fitness and decrease the mean performance for economically important traits, such as fertility and growth in beef cattle, with the age of inbreeding having a possible effect on the magnitude of inbreeding depression. The purpose of this study was to determine changes in genetic diversity as a result of the implementation of genomic selection in Angus cattle and quantify potential inbreeding depression effects of total pedigree and genomic inbreeding, and also to investigate the impact of recent and ancient inbreeding. Results We found that the yearly rate of inbreeding accumulation remained similar in sires and decreased significantly in dams since the implementation of genomic selection. Other measures such as effective population size and the effective number of chromosome segments show little evidence of a detrimental effect of using genomic selection strategies on the genetic diversity of beef cattle. We also quantified pedigree and genomic inbreeding depression for fertility and growth. While inbreeding did not affect fertility, an increase in pedigree or genomic inbreeding was associated with decreased birth weight, weaning weight, and post-weaning gain in both sexes. We also measured the impact of the age of inbreeding and found that recent inbreeding had a larger depressive effect on growth than ancient inbreeding. Conclusions In this study, we sought to quantify and understand the possible consequences of genomic selection on the genetic diversity of American Angus cattle. In both sires and dams, we found that, generally, genomic selection resulted in decreased rates of pedigree and genomic inbreeding accumulation and increased or sustained effective population sizes and number of independently segregating chromosome segments. We also found significant depressive effects of inbreeding accumulation on economically important growth traits, particularly with genomic and recent inbreeding.

scholarly journals Grid search approach to discriminate between old and recent inbreeding using phenotypic, pedigree and genomic information

BMC Genomics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pattarapol Sumreddee ◽  
El Hamidi Hay ◽  
Sajjad Toghiani ◽  
Andrew Roberts ◽  
Samuel E. Aggrey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Common Ancestor ◽  
Growth Traits ◽  
Average Daily Gain ◽  
Recent Common Ancestor ◽  
Pedigree Information ◽  
Grid Search ◽  
Genomic Information ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Daily Gain ◽  
Harmful Effects

Abstract Background Although inbreeding caused by the mating of animals related through a recent common ancestor is expected to have more harmful effects on phenotypes than ancient inbreeding (old inbreeding), estimating these effects requires a clear definition of recent (new) and ancient (old) inbreeding. Several methods have been proposed to classify inbreeding using pedigree and genomic data. Unfortunately, these methods are largely based on heuristic criteria such as the number of generations from a common ancestor or length of runs of homozygosity (ROH) segments. To mitigate these deficiencies, this study aimed to develop a method to classify pedigree and genomic inbreeding into recent and ancient classes based on a grid search algorithm driven by the assumption that new inbreeding tends to have a more pronounced detrimental effect on traits. The proposed method was tested using a cattle population characterized by a deep pedigree. Results Effects of recent and ancient inbreeding were assessed on four growth traits (birth, weaning and yearling weights and average daily gain). Thresholds to classify inbreeding into recent and ancient classes were trait-specific and varied across traits and sources of information. Using pedigree information, inbreeding generated in the last 10 to 11 generations was considered as recent. When genomic information (ROH) was used, thresholds ranged between four to seven generations, indicating, in part, the ability of ROH segments to characterize the harmful effects of inbreeding in shorter periods of time. Nevertheless, using the proposed classification method, the discrimination between new and old inbreeding was less robust when ROH segments were used compared to pedigree. Using several model comparison criteria, the proposed approach was generally better than existing methods. Recent inbreeding appeared to be more harmful across the growth traits analyzed. However, both new and old inbreeding were found to be associated with decreased yearling weight and average daily gain. Conclusions The proposed method provided a more objective quantitative approach for the classification of inbreeding. The proposed method detected a clear divergence in the effects of old and recent inbreeding using pedigree data and it was superior to existing methods for all analyzed traits. Using ROH data, the discrimination between old and recent inbreeding was less clear and the proposed method was superior to existing approaches for two out of the four analyzed traits. Deleterious effects of recent inbreeding were detected sooner (fewer generations) using genomic information than pedigree. Difference in the results using genomic and pedigree information could be due to the dissimilarity in the number of generations to a common ancestor. Additionally, the uncertainty associated with the identification of ROH segments and associated inbreeding could have an effect on the results. Potential biases in the estimation of inbreeding effects may occur when new and old inbreeding are discriminated based on arbitrary thresholds. To minimize the impact of inbreeding, mating designs should take the different inbreeding origins into consideration.

scholarly journals Detection of 15-bp Deletion Mutation within PLAG1 Gene and Its Effects on Growth Traits in Goats

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 2064
Author(s):  
Zhenyu Wei ◽  
Ke Wang ◽  
Hui Wu ◽  
Zhen Wang ◽  
Chuanying Pan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Growth Traits ◽  
Body Height ◽  
The Body ◽  
Chest Circumference ◽  
Dairy Goat ◽  
Cashmere Goat ◽  
Indel Mutation ◽  
Body Stature ◽  
Body Index

Stature and weight are important growth and development traits for animals, which also significantly affect the productivity of livestock. Polymorphic adenoma gene 1 (PLAG1) is located in the growth-related quantitative trait nucleotides (QTN), and its variation has been determined to significantly affect the body stature of bovines. This study found that novel 15-bp InDel could significantly influence important growth traits in goats. The frequencies of genotypes of the 15-bp mutation and relationship with core growth traits such as body weight, body height, height at hip cross, chest circumference, hip width and body index were explored in 1581 individuals among 4 Chinese native goat breeds. The most frequent genotypes of Shaanbei white Cashmere goat (SWCG), Inner Mongolia White Cashmere goat (IMCG) and Guanzhong Dairy goat (GZDG) were II genotypes (insertion/insertion), and the frequency of ID genotype (insertion/deletion) was found to be slightly higher than that of II genotype in Hainan Black goat (HNBG), showing that the frequency of the I allele was higher than that of the D allele. In adult goats, there were significant differences between 15-bp variation and body weight, chest circumference and body height traits in SWCG (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the locus was also found to be significantly correlated with the body index of HNBG (p = 0.044) and hip width in GZDG (p = 0.002). In regard to lambs, there were significant differences in height at the hip cross of SWCG (p = 0.036) and hip width in IMWC (p = 0.005). The corresponding results suggest that the 15-bp InDel mutation of PLAG1 is associated with the regulation of important growth characteristics of both adult and lamb of goats, which may serve as efficient molecular markers for goat breeding.

scholarly journals Innovative concepts for the usage of veneer-based hybrid materials in vehicle structures

2021 ◽  
pp. 146442072199839
Author(s):  
DB Heyner ◽  
G Piazza ◽  
E Beeh ◽  
G Seidel ◽  
HE Friedrich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Steel Strip ◽  
High Energy ◽  
The Body ◽  
Vehicle Body ◽  
Material System ◽  
Laminated Veneer Lumber ◽  
Hybrid Beam ◽  
Bending Load ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Very High

A promising approach for the development of sustainable and resource-saving alternatives to conventional material solutions in vehicle structures is the use of renewable raw materials. One group of materials that has particular potential for this application is wood. The specific material properties of wood in the longitudinal fiber direction are comparable to typical construction materials such as steel or aluminum. Due to its comparatively low density, there is a very high lightweight construction potential especially for bending load cases. Structural components of the vehicle body are exposed to very high mechanical loads in the case of crash impact. Depending on the component under consideration, energy has to be absorbed and the structural integrity of the body has to be ensured in order to protect the occupants. The use of natural materials such as wood poses particular challenges for such applications. The material characteristics of wood are dispersed, and depend on environmental factors such as humidity. The aim of the following considerations was to develop a material system to ensure the functional reliability of the component. The test boundary conditions for validation also play a key role in this context. The potential of wood–steel hybrid design based on laminated veneer lumber and steel was investigated for use in a component subjected to crash loads such as the door impact beam. The chosen solution involves a separation of functions. A laminated veneer lumber-based beam was hybridized with a steel strip on the tension side. The steel strip was designed to compensate the comparatively low elongation at fracture of the wood and to ensure the integrity of the beam. The wooden component was designed for high energy absorption due to delamination and controlled failure during the impact, while maintaining the surface moment of inertia, i.e. the bending stiffness of the entire component. This approach was chosen to ensure the functional safety of the component, avoid sudden component failure and utilize the high potential of both materials. The tests carried out provided initial functional proof of the chosen solution. The hybridization achieved significantly higher deformations without sudden failure of the beam. In addition, bending capabilities were increased significantly compared to a beam without hybridization. In comparison with a state-of-the-art steel beam, the hybrid beam was not able to achieve the maximum deformation and the target weight of the hybrid beam. Further optimization of the hybrid beam is therefore necessary.

scholarly journals Addition of Flucytosine to Fluconazole for the Treatment of Cryptococcal Meningitis in Africa: A Multicountry Cost-effectiveness Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tinevimbo Shiri ◽  
Angela Loyse ◽  
Lawrence Mwenge ◽  
Tao Chen ◽  
Shabir Lakhi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Cryptococcal Meningitis ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Costing Analysis ◽  
Very High

Abstract Background Mortality from cryptococcal meningitis remains very high in Africa. In the Advancing Cryptococcal Meningitis Treatment for Africa (ACTA) trial, 2 weeks of fluconazole (FLU) plus flucytosine (5FC) was as effective and less costly than 2 weeks of amphotericin-based regimens. However, many African settings treat with FLU monotherapy, and the cost-effectiveness of adding 5FC to FLU is uncertain. Methods The effectiveness and costs of FLU+5FC were taken from ACTA, which included a costing analysis at the Zambian site. The effectiveness of FLU was derived from cohorts of consecutively enrolled patients, managed in respects other than drug therapy, as were participants in ACTA. FLU costs were derived from costs of FLU+5FC in ACTA, by subtracting 5FC drug and monitoring costs. The cost-effectiveness of FLU+5FC vs FLU alone was measured as the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). A probabilistic sensitivity analysis assessed uncertainties and a bivariate deterministic sensitivity analysis examined the impact of varying mortality and 5FC drug costs on the ICER. Results The mean costs per patient were US $847 (95% confidence interval [CI] $776–927) for FLU+5FC, and US $628 (95% CI $557–709) for FLU. The 10-week mortality rate was 35.1% (95% CI 28.9–41.7%) with FLU+5FC and 53.8% (95% CI 43.1–64.1%) with FLU. At the current 5FC price of US $1.30 per 500 mg tablet, the ICER of 5FC+FLU versus FLU alone was US $65 (95% CI $28–208) per life-year saved. Reducing the 5FC cost to between US $0.80 and US $0.40 per 500 mg resulted in an ICER between US $44 and US $28 per life-year saved. Conclusions The addition of 5FC to FLU is cost-effective for cryptococcal meningitis treatment in Africa and, if made available widely, could substantially reduce mortality rates among human immunodeficiency virus–infected persons in Africa.

scholarly journals Non-Destructive Assessment of Wood Stiffness in Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and its Use in Forest Tree Improvement

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irena Fundova ◽  
Tomas Funda ◽  
Harry X. Wu
Keyword(s):  
Scots Pine ◽  
Growth Traits ◽  
Wood Quality ◽  
Genetic Correlations ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Wood Stiffness ◽  
Standing Trees ◽  
Genetic And Phenotypic Correlations ◽  
Sib Families ◽  
Using Data

Wood stiffness is an important wood mechanical property that predetermines the suitability of sawn timber for construction purposes. Negative genetic correlations between wood stiffness and growth traits have, however, been reported for many conifer species including Scots pine. It is, therefore, important that breeding programs consider wood stiffness and growth traits simultaneously. The study aims to (1) evaluate different approaches of calculating the dynamic modulus of elasticity (MOE, non-destructively assessed stiffness) using data from X-ray analysis (SilviScan) as a benchmark, (2) estimate genetic parameters, and (3) apply index selection. In total, we non-destructively measured 622 standing trees from 175 full-sib families for acoustic velocity (VEL) using Hitman and for wood density (DEN) using Resistograph and Pilodyn. We combined VEL with different wood densities, raw (DENRES) and adjusted (DENRES.TB) Resistograph density, Pilodyn density measured with (DENPIL) and without bark (DENPIL.B), constant of 1000 kg·m−3 (DENCONST), and SilviScan density (DENSILV), to calculate MOEs and compare them with the benchmark SilviScan MOE (MOESILV). We also derived Smith–Hazel indices for simultaneous improvement of stem diameter (DBH) and wood stiffness. The highest additive genetic and phenotypic correlations of the benchmark MOESILV with the alternative MOE measures (tested) were attained by MOEDENSILV (0.95 and 0.75, respectively) and were closely followed by MOEDENRES.TB (0.91 and 0.70, respectively) and MOEDENCONST and VEL (0.91 and 0.65, respectively for both). Correlations with MOEDENPIL, MOEDENPIL.B, and MOEDENRES were lower. Narrow-sense heritabilities were moderate, ranging from 0.39 (MOESILV) to 0.46 (MOEDENSILV). All indices revealed an opportunity for joint improvement of DBH and MOE. Conclusions: MOEDENRES.TB appears to be the most efficient approach for indirect selection for wood stiffness in Scots pine, although VEL alone and MOEDENCONST have provided very good results too. An index combining DBH and MOEDENRES.TB seems to offer the best compromise for simultaneous improvement of growth, fiber, and wood quality traits.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document