Genetic parameters of some growth and egg production traits in laying Brown Tsaiya (Anas platyrynchos)

Five hundred and thirty seven female ducks from the native Brown Tsaiya in Taiwan, derived from 156 dams, 40 sires, 4 locations (sire origin), from five hatches were used in study. Fifteen traits were recorded. Average values of traits measured were the following: adult (30 weeks of age) body weight, 1397 ± 120 g; age at first egg, 121 ± 11 days; egg numbers up to 245, 280 and 360 days of age, 107 ± 13, 139 ± 15, 207 ± 26, respectively; egg shell strength, 3.8 ± 0.5 kg/cm2; egg shell thickness, 0.37 ± 0.02 mm; egg weight at 30 and 40 weeks of age, 64.2 ± 4.3 g and 67.8 ± 4.3 g. Genetic parameters were calculated: heritability estimate from the sire variance component (formula, see attached document), dam variance component (formula, see attached document). Body weights at 8, 16, 20, 30, 40 weeks of age showed high additive genetic variation (formula, see attached document). For egg weight at 30 and 40 weeks of age, (formula, see attached document). For traits related to egg number, (formula see attached document) values were low and increased with age, being 0.02, 0.12 and 0.14 respectively for 245, 280 and 360 days of age. But the respective heritabilities calculated from dam variance components were higher, being 0.32, 0.17 and 0.26. The non-additive genetic variation of these traits and perhaps the existence of maternal genetic variance indicate the possibility of conducting within line selection and cross-breeding between lines of the same breed.Cinq cent trente-sept femelles de la race locale de cane Tsaiya Brune à Taiwan, issues de 156 mères, 40 pères, 4 régions de Taiwan (origine des pères), nées dans 5 lots d’éclosion, sont utilisées dans cette étude, 15 caractères sont étudiés. Les poids des adultes (âge : 30 semaines) sont de 1397 ± 120 g. Les valeurs moyennes des caractères mesurés sont les suivantes : âge au le 1er œuf, 126 ± 11 j. Pour les nombres d’oeufs pondus aux âges de 245, 280 et 360 jours, on a respectivement 107 ± 13, 139 ± 15, 207 ± 26. Pour l’épaisseur de la coquille 0,37 ± 0,02 mm et pour sa solidité, 3,8 ± 0,5 kg/cm2. Les poids de l’oeuf, respectivement aux âges de 30 et 40 semaines sont 64,2 ± 4,3 g et 67,8 ± 4,3 g. Les paramètres génétiques ont été calculés: estimation des héritabilités à partir des composantes père (formule, voir document attaché) et mère (formule, voir document attaché) de la variance. Les poids corporels aux âges de 8, 16, 20, 30 et 40 semaines présentent une variabilité génétique additive forte (formule, voir document attaché). Pour le poids de l’oeuf à 30 et 40 semaines d’âge, (formule, voir document attaché). Pour les caractères de production d’oeufs, les valeurs de (formule, voir document attaché) sont faibles et s’accroissent avec l’âge : (formule, voir document attaché). Par contre les héritabilités calculées à partir des composantes mères de la variance sont significatives : (formule, voir document attaché). L’existence d’une variabilité génétique non additive pour ces caractères conduira à envisager une sélection de souches et leur croisement

Genetic parameters of body weight, egg production and shell quality traits in the Brown Tsaiya laying duck

International audienc

Prediction of genetic gains in body weight, egg production and shell quality traits in the Brown Tsaiya laying duck (Anas platyrhynchos)

An evaluation was made of the expected genetic gain and predicted genetic responses for egg weight and body weight at 40 weeks of age (EW40, BW40), number of eggs laid up to 52 weeks of age (NEGG52), eggshell strength at 30 or 40 weeks of age (ES30 or ES40) in Brown Tsaiya laying ducks selected for five generations by independent culling levels, first on a linear phenotypic index for the first three traits, and then on ES30 or ES40. The genetic parameters estimated in the base population were used to calculate the expected genetic gains in one generation of selection. The genetic responses per generation were evaluated by averaging the multitrait best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) animal model predictors and regressing them on generation number. The per generation genetic responses were +0.177 g (EW40); +8.029 g (BW40); +0.935 eggs (NEGG52); +0.017 k2 g/cm (ES30); +0.014 kC2 gM/ (ES40). These values fit the expected genetic gains for NEGG52, but they are higher than those for BW40 and lower than those for ES30 and ES40. It was shown that, compared to the selection method which has been used and with the same selection intensity in female ducks (i = 1.271), constrained selection based on a phenotypic selection index or a genetic index could increase the expected genetic gains in NEGG52 by a factor of 3.5 or 5.7, respectively, while maintaining constant EW40 and BW40.Les gains génétiques attendus et les réponses génétiques prédites du poids de l’oeuf et du poids corporel à l’âge de 40 semaines (EW40, BW40), du nombre d’oeufs pondus jusqu’à l’âge de 52 semaines (NEGG52), de la solidité de la coquille aux âges de 30 et 40 semaines (ES30 ou ES4O) chez la cane pondeuse Tsaiya Brune sélectionnée pendant cinq générations ont été calculés. La sélection par niveaux indépendants était basée sur un premier choix des 50% meilleures femelles d’après leurs valeurs individuelles d’un indice de sélection massale sur les trois caractères EW40, BW40, NEGG52 et sur un deuxième choix portant sur les valeurs individuelles de ES30 (deux premières générations) puis de ES40 à partir de la troisième génération. Les reproducteurs mâles étaient choisis de façon comparable à partir de l’information sur leurs sœurs. Au total, 3 482 femelles et 2 093 mâles ont été étudiés. Pendant les quatre premières générations, en moyenne 25,6% des femelles et 12,2% des mâles furent sélectionnés. À partir des paramètres génétiques de la population de base, les gains génétiques attendus ont été calculés. Les réponses génétiques par génération ont été estimées par ailleurs à partir des moyennes des prédicteurs de valeurs génétiques du BL UP modèle animal, en calculant la régression des moyennes en fonction du numéro de génération. Les réponses par génération sont de + 0,177g (EW40); de + 8, 029 g (BWl, 0); de + 0, 935 oeufs (NEGG52); de + 0, 017 k2g/cM (ES30); de + 0, 014 k2 g/cm (ES40). Ces valeurs correspondent au gain génétique attendu pour NEGG52, elles sont plus fortes pour BW40 et plus faibles pour ES30 and ES40. Il est montré que, par rapport à la méthode de sélection qui a été appliquée et avec la même intensité de sélection chez les canes (i = 1, 271), la sélection avec contraintes sur un indice de sélection massale ou un indice génétique sur quatre caractères pourrait multiplier le gain génétique attendu de NEGG52 par 3,5 et 5,7 respectivement, tout en maintenant constant le poids de l'œuf (EW40) et le poids corporel (BW40)

Musical coordination in a large group without plans nor leaders

A widespread belief is that large groups engaged in joint actions that require a high level of flexibility are unable to coordinate without the introduction of additional resources such as shared plans or hierarchical organizations. Here, we put this belief to a test, by empirically investigating coordination within a large group of 16 musicians performing collective free improvisation—a genre in which improvisers aim at creating music that is as complex and unprecedented as possible without relying on shared plans or on an external conductor. We show that musicians freely improvising within a large ensemble can achieve significant levels of coordination, both at the level of their musical actions (i.e., their individual decisions to play or to stop playing) and at the level of their directional intentions (i.e., their intentions to change or to support the music produced by the group). Taken together, these results invite us to reconsider the range and scope of actions achievable by large groups, and to explore alternative organizational models that emphasize decentralized and unscripted forms of collective behavior

Selection responses for the number of fertile eggs of the Brown Tsaiya duck (Anas platyrhynchos) after a single artificial insemination with pooled Muscovy (Cairina moschata) semen

A seven-generation selection experiment comprising a selected (S) and a control (C) line was conducted with the objective of increasing the number of fertile eggs (F) of the Brown Tsaiya duck after a single artificial insemination (AI) with pooled Muscovy semen. Both lines consisted of about 20 males and 60 females since parents in each generation and each female duck was tested 3 times, at 26, 29 and 32 weeks of age. The fertile eggs were measured by candling at day 7 of incubation. The selection criterion in the S line was the BLUP animal model value for E On average, 24.7% of the females and 15% of the males were selected. The direct responses to the selection for F, and correlated responses for the number of eggs set (le), the number of total dead embryos (M), the maximum duration of fertility (Dm) and the number of hatched mule ducklings (H) were measured by studying the differences across the generations of selection between the phenotypic value averages in the S and C lines. The predicted genetic responses were calculated by studying the differences between the S and C lines in averaged values of five traits of the BLUP animal model. The selection responses and the predicted responses showed similar trends. There was no genetic change for le. After seven generations of selection, the average selection responses per generation were 0.40, 0.33, 0.42, 0.41 genetic standard deviation units for F, M, Din, and H respectively. Embryo viability was not impaired by this selection. For days 2-8 after Al, the fertility rates (F/Ie) were 89.2% and 63.8%, the hatchability rates (H/F) were 72.5% and 70.6%, and (H/Ie) were 64.7% and 45.1% in the S and C lines respectively. It was concluded that upward selection on the number of fertile eggs after a single Al with pooled Muscovy semen may be effective in ducks to increase the duration of the fertile period and the fertility and hatchability rates with Al once a week instead of twice a week

Apoptosis of Fashigh CD4+ synovial T cells by borrelia-reactive Fas-ligand(high) gamma delta T cells in Lyme arthritis

The function of the minor subset of T lymphocytes bearing the gamma delta T cell antigen receptor is uncertain. Although some gamma delta T cells react to microbial products, responsiveness has only rarely been demonstrated toward a bacterial antigen from a naturally occurring human infection. Synovial fluid lymphocytes from patients with Lyme arthritis contain a large proportion of gamma delta cells that proliferate in response to the causative spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi. Furthermore, synovial gamma delta T cell clones express elevated and sustained levels of the ligand for Fas (APO-1, CD95) compared to alpha beta T cells, and induce apoptosis of Fashigh CD4+ synovial lymphocytes. The findings suggest that gamma delta T cells contribute to defense in human infections, as well as manifest an immunoregulatory function at inflammatory sites by a Fas-dependent process

The I4U Mega Fusion and Collaboration for NIST Speaker Recognition Evaluation 2016

The 2016 speaker recognition evaluation (SRE'16) is the latest edition in the series of benchmarking events conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). I4U is a joint entry to SRE'16 as the result from the collaboration and active exchange of information among researchers from sixteen Institutes and Universities across 4 continents. The joint submission and several of its 32 sub-systems were among top-performing systems. A lot of efforts have been devoted to two major challenges, namely, unlabeled training data and dataset shift from Switchboard-Mixer to the new Call My Net dataset. This paper summarizes the lessons learned, presents our shared view from the sixteen research groups on recent advances, major paradigm shift, and common tool chain used in speaker recognition as we have witnessed in SRE'16. More importantly, we look into the intriguing question of fusing a large ensemble of sub-systems and the potential benefit of large-scale collaboration.Peer reviewe

Duck (Anas platyrhynchos) linkage mapping by AFLP fingerprinting

Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) with multicolored fluorescent molecular markers was used to analyze duck (Anas platyrhynchos) genomic DNA and to construct the first AFLP genetic linkage map. These markers were developed and genotyped in 766 F2 individuals from six families from a cross between two different selected duck lines, brown Tsaiya and Pekin. Two hundred and ninety-six polymorphic bands (64% of all bands) were detected using 18 pairs of fluorescent TaqI/EcoRI primer combinations. Each primer set produced a range of 7 to 29 fragments in the reactions, and generated on average 16.4 polymorphic bands. The AFLP linkage map included 260 co-dominant markers distributed in 32 linkage groups. Twenty-one co-dominant markers were not linked with any other marker. Each linkage group contained three to 63 molecular markers and their size ranged between 19.0 cM and 171.9 cM. This AFLP linkage map provides important information for establishing a duck chromosome map, for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL mapping) and for breeding applications