Heritability estimation of silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) harvest traits using microsatellite based parentage assignment

Silver carp accounts for the largest biomass production of any finfish aquaculture species in the world. In spite of its great importance as an aquacultural species, very little is known about the genetic parameters of its commercially important traits. As an initial step towards developing a selective breeding programme, heritability of harvest weight and length was estimated for a silver carp stock maintained in the NFRDMP (North West Fisheries Resource Development and Management Project) hatchery in Bangladesh. Three sets of partial factorial matings were performed (12 sires and 12 dams in each set) to produce full and half-sib families for this study. Offspring from all families produced in a set were reared communally for six months and then weighed and measured upon harvesting. Ten silver carp microsatellite markers were included in two multiplex PCR systems and were used to assign parentage to the individuals. Out of 331 offspring, 96.3% could be assigned to a single family. Statistical analyses to partition the variance components for weight and length data were carried out by the REML (Restricted Maximum Likelihood) method. Heritability for harvest weight was estimated to be 0.67 (confidence interval: 0.42-0.93) and for harvest length 0.51 (confidence interval: 0.29-0.78). Despite the limited sample size, the moderate to high heritability estimates suggest that this population should respond rapidly to selective breeding for increased harvest size. In addition to this first report of quantitative genetic parameters in silver carp, this paper also describes two novel multiplexes of silver carp microsatellite markers for parentage assignment and discusses the effects of the partial factorial mating design in maintaining effective population size in this species

Steady MHD Free Convection Flow with Thermal Radiation past a Vertical Porous Plate Immersed in a Porous Medium

Abstract: The present study is concerned with thermal radiation in a steady two-dimensional MHD free convection flow through a porous vertical flat plate immersed in a porous medium. In the analysis a DarcyForchhemier model is considered while the fluid is taken to be gray, absorbing-emitting radiation. The nonlinear governing equations have been transformed by the usual similarity transformation to a system of ordinary differential equations. These dimensionless similar equations are then solved numerically employing the Nachtsheim-Swigert shooting iteration technique along with sixth order Runge-Kutta integration scheme. Finally the effects of the pertinent parameters are examined

Rickettsial illnesses as important causes of febrile illness in Chittagong, Bangladesh

We conducted a yearlong prospective study of febrile patients admitted to a tertiary referral hospital in Chittagong, Bangladesh, to assess the proportion of patients with rickettsial illnesses and identify the causative pathogens, strain genotypes, and associated seasonality patterns. We diagnosed scrub typhus in 16.8% (70/416) and murine typhus in 5.8% (24/416) of patients; 2 patients had infections attributable to undifferentiated Rickettsia spp. and 2 had DNA sequence-confirmed R. felis infection. Orientia tsutsugamushi genotypes included Karp, Gilliam, Kato, and TA763-like strains, with a prominence of Karp-like strains. Scrub typhus admissions peaked in a biphasic pattern before and after the rainy season, whereas murine typhus more frequently occurred before the rainy season. Death occurred in 4% (18/416) of cases; case-fatality rates were 4% each for scrub typhus (3/70) and murine typhus (1/28). Overall, 23.1% (96/416) of patients had evidence of treatable rickettsial illnesses, providing important evidence toward optimizing empirical treatment strategies

Steady MHD Free Convection Flow with Thermal Radiation past a Vertical Porous Plate Immersed in a Porous Medium

Abstract: The present study is concerned with thermal radiation in a steady two-dimensional MHD free convection flow through a porous vertical flat plate immersed in a porous medium. In the analysis a DarcyForchhemier model is considered while the fluid is taken to be gray, absorbing-emitting radiation. The nonlinear governing equations have been transformed by the usual similarity transformation to a system of ordinary differential equations. These dimensionless similar equations are then solved numerically employing the Nachtsheim-Swigert shooting iteration technique along with sixth order Runge-Kutta integration scheme. Finally the effects of the pertinent parameters are examined

A 17-years-old girl presenting with spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea diagnosed as aqueductal stenosis: A case report

A 17-year-old girl presented with chronic headache and spontaneous CSF rhinorrhea. She had no history of head trauma. MRI of her brain showed aqueductal stenosis associated with triventriculomegaly with partially empty sella. Following insertion of ventriculoperitoneal shunt, her headache and CSF rhinorrhea completely recovered. Though very uncommon but aqueductal stenosis should be kept as a differential diagnosis for etiology of chronic CSF rhinorrhea