Fisher-Wright model with deterministic seed bank and selection

Seed banks are a common characteristics to many plant species, which allow storage of genetic diversity in the soil as dormant seeds for various periods of time. We investigate an above-ground population following a Fisher-Wright model with selection coupled with a deterministic seed bank assuming the length of the seed bank is kept constant and the number of seeds is large. To assess the combined impact of seed banks and selection on genetic diversity, we derive a general diffusion model. The applied techniques outline a path of approximating a stochastic delay differential equation by an appropriately rescaled stochastic differential equation, which is a common issue in statistical physics. We compute the equilibrium solution of the site-frequency spectrum and derive the times to fixation of an allele with and without selection. Finally, it is demonstrated that seed banks enhance the effect of selection onto the site-frequency spectrum while slowing down the time until the mutation-selection equilibrium is reached

Metaboličke osobitosti četveroglavog bedrenog mišića (m. quadriceps femoris) u ovaca pasmine Lička pramenka hranjenih uz dodatak plemenite pečurke (Agaricus bisporus).

The objective of this study was to verify the presence of oxidative enzymes in the quadriceps femoris muscle of Lika Pramenka sheep and to evaluate the effect of supplement from button mushrooms, Agaricus bisporus (A. bisporus), on the histochemical and morphological characteristics of the muscles. Fourteen oneyear-old Lika Pramenka sheep were randomly divided into two groups (control and experimental groups) comprising 7 animals each. The experiment was conducted over a period of 6 weeks of the winter feeding period. The control group of sheep was fed with a standard feed without antimicrobials or growth promoters. The experimental group was given the same feed but with an additional 1.5% of dry A. bisporus. During the experiment access to water and feed was ad libitum. Samples were tested for the size and type of muscle fibers, as well as for the presence of oxidative enzymes. The diameter of muscle fibers and histochemical reactions profiles were significantly greater in animals fed with the A. bisporus supplement. On the basis of the increased activity of oxidative enzymes, which resulted in pronounced cell metabolism and increased muscle mass, we conclude that A. bisporus displays growth promoter effects.Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je provjeriti prisutnost oksidativnih enzima u četveroglavom bedrenom mišiću (m. quadriceps femoris) ovaca pasmine Lička pramenka te procijeniti učinak u hranu dodanog pripravka plemenite pečurke Agaricus bisporus (A. bisporus) na histokemijske i morfološke karakteristike mišića. Četrnaest jednogodišnjih ovaca bilo je nasumično odabrano i podijeljeno u dvije skupine (kontrolna i pokusna skupina) s po sedam životinja. Pokus je bio proveden tijekom 6 tjedana hranjenja. Kontrolna skupina bila je hranjena standardnom hranom, dok je pokusnoj skupini u standardnu hranu umješano 1,5% suhog pripravka A. bisporus. Tijekom cijelog pokusnog razdoblja hrana i voda bile su životinjama dostupne ad libitum. Uzorci m. quadriceps femoris ovaca u pokusu bili su analizirani s obzirom na veličinu i tip mišićnog vlakna, te na prisutnost oksidativnih enzima. Mišićna vlakna većih promjera i snažnije histokemijske reakcije zabilježena su u ovaca hranjenih s dodatkom A. bisporus. Temeljem povećane aktivnosti oksidativnih enzima, što je rezultiralo pojačanim staničnim metabolizmom i povećanom mišićnom masom ovaca hranjenih uz dodatak pripravka plemenite pečurke, možemo zaključiti da A. bisporus ima učinak promotora rasta

Tehnološka svojstva i kemijski sastav mesa ovaca hranjenih pripravkom plemenite pečurke Agaricus bisporus.

The aim of this study was to determine technological properties and basic chemical composition of sheep meat. In this study a total of 50 sheep carcasses were used. The dietary groups were controlled, one group was fed a basal diet and the other group with diets containing 1.5 % dry supplement of Agaricus bisporus, during the 6 months of the winter feeding period. The meat pH, EC, color and chemical composition were measured 24 h post-mortem in the m. longissimus dorsi. Sheep fed with the addition of Agaricus bisporus had a significantly lower proportion of nutrients (fat and protein) and a significantly higher proportion of water compared with the control group of animals (P<0.001). In selected adult animals fed with a supplement of Agaricus bisporus the muscular region was darker (L*) with a higher degree of redness (a*) and a lower degree of yellowness (b*) in relation to the same muscular region of the control group. There were no significant differences in fatty acid composition between the groups.Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je utvrditi tehnološka svojstva te osnovni kemijski sastav mesa ovaca. U istraživanju je bilo obuhvaćeno ukupno 50 klaonički obrađenih ovčjih trupova. Pokusne životinje bile su podijeljene u dvije skupine pri čemu je kontrolnoj skupini (C) hranidba prilagođena samo za održavanje osnovnih životnih potreba, a drugoj (pokusnoj, A) skupini u hranu je dodavano 1,5 % osušenog pripravka plemenite pečurke Agaricus bisporus, tijekom 6 tjedana zimskog perioda. Boja, električna provodljivost, pH i kemijski sastav mesa određivani su 24 sata nakon klanja na m. longissimus dorsi. Ovce hranjene dodatkom plemenite pečurke imale su značajno manji udio hranjivih tvari (masti i bjelančevina) i značajno veći udio vode u odnosu na kontrolnu skupinu (P<0,001). Mišićna regija odabranih odraslih grla hranjenih pripravkom plemenite pečurke bila je tamnija (L*) s višim stupnjem crvenila (a*) i nižim stupnjem žutila (b*) u odnosu na mišićnu regiju kontrolne skupine. Nije bilo značajnih razlika masnokiselinskog sastava obiju skupina

Erratum to:Methylome Evolution in plants

Erratum After publication of this article [1] we noticed that the centromere of Chromosome 3 was missing from Fig. 4a, and that the Fig. 4e y-axis should read ‘CG meth. Div. W-Acc.’. The y-axis of the barplot in Fig. 5a should read ‘Number of cytosines’. The corrected Figs. 4 and 5 are shown below

Methylome evolution in plants

Despite major progress in dissecting the molecular pathways that control DNA methylation patterns in plants, little is known about the mechanisms that shape plant methylomes over evolutionary time. Drawing on recent intra- and interspecific epigenomic studies, we show that methylome evolution over long timescales is largely a byproduct of genomic changes. By contrast, methylome evolution over short timescales appears to be driven mainly by spontaneous epimutational events. We argue that novel methods based on analyses of the methylation site frequency spectrum (mSFS) of natural populations can provide deeper insights into the evolutionary forces that act at each timescale

Utjecaj hrane s dodatkom plemenite pečurke (Agaricus bisporus) na kinetiku promjena udjela CD4+ CD8+ T-limfocita u perifernoj krvi janjadi

The primary focus of the current study was to determine the potential benefits of supplementing sheep diet with white button mushrooms (WBM) in terms of growth, health and the kinetics of systemic CD4+ CD8+ memory T lymphocytes in lambs. Forty-five female lambs (Lika breed) were divided into three groups: A – the control group fed on a free-range pasture for the 222 days of the experiment, while groups B and C were housed in a separate facility for 42 days and fed either a commercial feed mixture (FM) or a FM supplemented with 15% of freshly prepared WBM, respectively, and ad libitum forage. For the remaining 180 days of the experiment, both groups (B and C) of lambs were kept free-range and fed pasture only. The lambs were monitored daily starting on Day 0 (or 90 days of age) before the treatments, weighed and blood sampled on Days 0, 21, 42 and 222, and were clinically observed for the incidence/severity of diarrhea and/or other signs of disease. In addition to morbidity, mortality was also monitored, and dead lambs were examined for gross pathology changes. The lambs fed FM supplemented with WBM (group C) had significantly higher body weight gain (P<0.05) on Days 42 and 222. They were neither diarrheic nor had any mortality cases throughout the experiment. Also, these lambs had a significantly increased (P<0.05) proportion of CD4+CD8+ T cells on Days 42 and 222. The data obtained supported our assumption of the efficacy of dietary WBM in the immunostimulation of CD4+CD8+ memory T lymphocytes in lambs, resulting in protection against on-farm diarrhea and providing an increased growth rate.Primarno usmjerenje ovog istraživanja bilo je utvrditi potencijalne pogodnosti dodavanja plemenite pečurke (PP) u hranu za ovce na rast, zdravlje i kinetiku sistemskih CD4+ CD8+ memorijskih T-limfocita u janjadi. Ukupno 45 janjadi ženskoga spola, pasmine lička pramenka, podijeljeno je u tri skupine. Kontrolna skupina A hranjena je na slobodnoj paši tijekom 222 dana pokusa, dok su skupine B i C bile smještene odvojeno u nastambi tijekom 42 dana i hranjene bilo komercijalnom krmnom smjesom (KS) bilo KS-om s dodatkom 15% svježe pripremljenog PP-a, uz dodatak voluminozne krme ad libitum. Preostalih 180 dana pokusa obje su skupine (B i C) janjadi držane u slobodnom uzgoju i hranjene samo ispašom. Janjad je svakodnevno nadzirana, počevši od nultog dana (ili 90. dana starosti) prije tretmana, vagana je te su uzimani i uzorci krvi 0., 21., 42. i 222. dan. Kliničkim pregledima ustanovljavana je pojavnost/jačina proljeva odnosno drugih znakova bolesti. Osim morbiditeta, praćen je i mortalitet, a uginula je janjad bila pregledana na patoanatomske i histopatološke promjene. Janjad hranjena KS-om s dodatkom PP-a (skupina C) imala je znakovito veći prirast tjelesne mase (P<0,05) 42. i 222. dan. Nije imala proljeva niti su zabilježeni slučajevi uginuća tijekom pokusa. Također, ta je janjad imala znakovito povećan (P<0,05) udio CD4+CD8+ T-stanica 42. i 222. dan pokusa. Dobiveni podaci potvrđuju našu pretpostavku o učinkovitosti PP-a kao dodatka hrani u imunostimulaciji CD4+CD8+ memorijskih T-limfocita u janjadi. Navedeno je rezultiralo zaštitom janjadi od proljeva i njihovim bržim rastom u farmskim uvjetima

Structural and electronic properties of Cu4O3 (paramelaconite): the role of native impurities

Hybrid density functional theory has been used to study the phase stability and formation of native point defects in Cu4O3. This intermediate copper oxide compound, also known as paramelaconite, was observed to be difficult to synthesize due to stabilization issues between mixed-valence Cu1+ and Cu2+ ions. The stability range of Cu4O3 was investigated and shown to be realized in an extremely narrow region of phase space, with Cu2O and CuO forming readily as competing impurity phases. The origin of p-type conductivity is confirmed to arise from specific intrinsic copper vacancies occurring on the 1+ site. Away from the outlined stability region, the dominant charge carriers become oxygen interstitials, impairing the conductivity by creating deep acceptor states in the electronic band gap region and driving the formation of alternative phases. This study further demonstrates the inadequacy of native defects as a source of n-type conductivity and complements existing experimental findings

Photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B dye and hydrogen evolution by hydrothermally synthesized NaBH4-spiked ZnS nanostructures

Metal sulphides, including zinc sulphide (ZnS), are semiconductor photocatalysts that have been investigated for the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants as well as their activity during the hydrogen evolution reaction and water splitting. However, devising ZnS photocatalysts with a high overall quantum efficiency has been a challenge due to the rapid recombination rates of charge carriers. Various strategies, including the control of size and morphology of ZnS nanoparticles, have been proposed to overcome these drawbacks. In this work, ZnS samples with different morphologies were prepared from zinc and sulphur powders via a facile hydrothermal method by varying the amount of sodium borohydride used as a reducing agent. The structural properties of the ZnS nanoparticles were analysed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. All-electron hybrid density functional theory calculations were employed to elucidate the effect of sulphur and zinc vacancies occurring in the bulk as well as (220) surface on the overall electronic properties and absorption of ZnS. Considerable differences in the defect level positions were observed between the bulk and surface of ZnS while the adsorption of NaBH4 was found to be highly favourable but without any significant effect on the band gap of ZnS. The photocatalytic activity of ZnS was evaluated for the degradation of rhodamine B dye under UV irradiation and hydrogen generation from water. The ZnS nanoparticles photo-catalytically degraded Rhodamine B dye effectively, with the sample containing 0.01 mol NaBH4 being the most efficient. The samples also showed activity for hydrogen evolution, but with less H2 produced compared to when untreated samples of ZnS were used. These findings suggest that ZnS nanoparticles are effective photocatalysts for the degradation of rhodamine B dyes as well as the hydrogen evolution, but rapid recombination of charge carriers remains a factor that needs future optimization

La evaluación del bienestar de la raza Pramenka de Lika en la granja GEA-COM d.o.o.

U svijetu se uzgaja preko milijardu ovaca, a većina se njih drži u ekstenzivnim uvjetima, odnosno provode barem dio godine na pašnjacima bez posebno bliskog kontakta s ljudima. Dobrobit ovaca od iznimnog je značaja za kvalitetu njihovog mesa te je stoga vrlo važno procijeniti dobrobit tijekom proizvodnje pouzdanim i lako provedivim metodama. U ovom je radu dobrobit ovaca procijenjena uz pomoć mobilne aplikacije AWIN protokola za procjenu dobrobiti ovaca na farmi tvrtke GEA-COM d.o.o. te je prikazano nekoliko pokazatelja dobrobiti temeljenih na životinjama. Tijekom razdoblja istraživanja dobrobit ovaca u navedenom uzgoju poboljšavala se, a glavni su razlozi tome promjene u načinu držanja i hranidbe ovaca (puštanje na ispašu i dodatak koncentrata) koji su doveli do više razine dobrobiti pojedinačnih životinja, a posljedično i cijelog stada.There are over one billion sheep reared in the world, most of which are kept in extensive conditions. They spent at least a few months during the year on pastures without particularly close contact with humans. The welfare of sheep is of utmost importance for the quality of their meat, and therefore it is very important to assess the welfare of sheep with reliable and feasible methods. In this paper, sheep welfare was evaluated with mobile application of the AWIN Welfare Assessment Protocol for Sheep at the farm owned by GEA-COM Ltd. Authors present several animal-based indicators regarding individual animals troughout the time of the study. During the period of the research, the welfare of sheep was improved, and the main reasons for this were the changes in the way in which the sheep were reared. Letting the flock out for grazing and adding concentrate supplements in their feed lead to higher level of welfare on individual animal level, and consequently raised the welfare level of the entire flock.Weltweit werden über eine Milliarde Schafe gezüchtet, die unter extensiven Bedingungen gehalten werden, bzw. sie verbringen zumindest einen Teil des Jahres auf der Weide, ohne einen besonders nahen Kontakt zu den Menschen. Das Wohlbefinden der Schafe hat eine sehr große Bedeutung für die Fleischqualität.. Daher ist es sehr wichtig, das Wohlbefinden während der Zucht anhand von zuverlässigen und leicht umsetzbaren Methoden zu beurteilen. In dieser Arbeit wurde das Wohlbefinden der Schafe anhand der mobilen Applikation des AWIN-Protokolls für die Bewertung des Wohlbefindens der Schafe im landwirtschaftlichen Betrieb der Firma GEA-COM d.o.o. bewertet. Dabei wurden einige Parameter des Wohlbefindens von Tieren dargestellt. Während des untersuchten Zeitraums hat sich das Wohlbefinden der Schafe unter den genannten Zuchtbedingungen verbessert, vorwiegend infolge der Änderung der Haltungsbedingungen und der Fütterung (intensivere Beweidung und Zugabe von Konzentraten), was zur Steigerung des Wohlbefindens einzelner Tiere, somit auch der ganzen Herde geführt hat.Nel mondo si allevano oltre un miliardo di pecore, la maggior parte delle quali viene mantenuta in condizioni d’allevamento estensivo, ossia le greggi trascorrono almeno una parte dell’anno nei pascoli senza alcuno stretto contatto con gli uomini. Il benessere degli ovini è estremamente importante per la qualità delle loro carni; è, dunque, molto importante valutare il benessere dei capi durante il processo produttivo mediante un metodo affidabile e di facile attuazione. In questo studio, il benessere degli ovini dello stabilimento zootecnico della società GEA-COM d.o.o. (S.r.l.) è stato valutato mediante l’applicazione mobile del protocollo AWIN riguardante la valutazione del benessere degli ovini. Il protocollo ha evidenziato alcuni indicatori del benessere basati sullo stato degli animali. Durante il periodo di osservazione, il benessere delle pecore nel suddetto stabilimento zootecnico è andato migliorando. Le principali ragioni di questo miglioramento sono state individuate nelle variazioni apportate al modo di tenere e nutrire i capi (lasciandoli liberi di pascolare e integrandone l’alimentazione con concentrati), il che ha portato a un miglioramento del benessere di ogni singolo capo e, di conseguenza, dell’intero gregge.Hay más de mil millones ovejas criadas en el mundo y la mayoría de ellas está en las condiciones de ganadería extensiva, es decir una parte del año están en los pastos sin contacto con los humanos. El bienestar de las ovejas es de suma importancia para la calidad de la carne y por eso es importante evaluar su bienestar durante la producción por los métodos fiables y fáciles de implementar. En este trabajo el bienestar de las ovejas fue evaluado por la aplicación móvil del protocolo AWIN para la evaluación del bienestar de las ovejas en la granja de la empresa GEA-COM d.o.o. y fueron mostrados varios indicadores del bienestar basados en los animales. Durante el período de la investigación el bienestar de las ovejas en la crianza mencionada se mejoró y las razones principales fueron los cambios en la manera de criar y alimentar las ovejas (comida en el pasto y la añadidura del concentrado) que llevaron al nivel más alto del bienestar de animales individuales y, como consecuencia, del rebaño entero

Vitamin D function in sheep

Nepotpuna prehrana životinja pa tako i ovaca, može dovesti do narušavanje homeostaze organizma, smanjenja proizvodnje, pojave bolesti pa i do uginuća. Vitamin D označava skupinu usko povezanih tvari koje posjeduju antirahitičnu aktivnost. Među vitaminima jedinstven je po tome što je jedini koji se u organizam ne unosi samo hranom (sijeno, a u mesojeda hrana animalnog podrijetla), već se u organizmu (koži) stvara i uz pomoć sunčeve svjetlosti. Uobičajeno je da pašno držane ovce rijetko kad trebaju dodatke vitamina D. To je stoga jer ovce ukoliko su izložene UVB zračenju, odnosno sunčevoj svjetlosti mogu nadoknaditi manjak vitamina D u hrani sintezom vitamina D unutar kože. No, ukoliko je izloženost ovaca suncu smanjena dugotrajnom naoblakom ili uzgojem u zatvorenom te kada je sadržaj vitamina D2 u hrani nizak, tada unesena količina vitamina D može biti nedostatna. U janjadi se deficit vitamina D očituje pojavom rahitisa, a u odraslih ovaca pojavom osteomalacije te hipokalcemije. U ovaca se obično javlja u kasnom graviditetu, ali je zabilježena i u životinja različite dobi. Slijedom svega navedenoga cilj je ovoga preglednoga rada je upoznati doktore veterinarske medicine s novim saznanjima o ulogama i metabolizmu vitamina D u ovaca te njegovom značenju za zdravlje i održavanje proizvodnih sposobnosti jedinke, odnosno stada.The incomplete nutrition of animals, including sheep, can lead to a disruption of homeostasis, reduced production, development of disease, and even animal death. Vitamin D refers to a group of closely related substances that possess antirachitic activity. This is the only vitamin that is not only taken into the organism by way of dietary origin (hay, food of animal origin in carnivores), but is also synthetised in the body (skin) with the help of sunlight. Typically, grazing sheep rarely need vitamin D supplements. This is because sheep can compensate for the lack of vitamin D in their food by synthesizing vitamin D in the skin if they are exposed to UVB radiation or sunlight. However, if sheep exposure to the sun is reduced by prolonged bad weather or indoor animal breeding, and when the vitamin D2 content of the diet is low, then the animal may have insufficient vitamin D consumption. In lambs, vitamin D deficiency is manifested by rickets, and in adult sheep by osteomalacia and hypocalcaemia. In sheep, this usually occurs in late pregnancy but has been observed in animals of all ages. Following the above, the aim of this review is to acquaint veterinarians with new knowledge about the roles and metabolism of vitamin D in sheep and its importance for the health and maintenance of productive abilities of the individual animal or herd