Search for QTL affecting the shape of the egg laying curve of the Japanese quail

BACKGROUND: Egg production is of critical importance in birds not only for their reproduction but also for human consumption as the egg is a highly nutritive and balanced food. Consequently, laying in poultry has been improved through selection to increase the total number of eggs laid per hen. This number is the cumulative result of the oviposition, a cyclic and repeated process which leads to a pattern over time (the egg laying curve) which can be modelled and described individually. Unlike the total egg number which compounds all variations, the shape of the curve gives information on the different phases of egg laying, and its genetic analysis using molecular markers might contribute to understand better the underlying mechanisms. The purpose of this study was to perform the first QTL search for traits involved in shaping the egg laying curve, in an F(2 )experiment with 359 female Japanese quail. RESULTS: Eight QTL were found on five autosomes, and six of them could be directly associated with egg production traits, although none was significant at the genome-wide level. One of them (on CJA13) had an effect on the first part of the laying curve, before the production peak. Another one (on CJA06) was related to the central part of the curve when laying is maintained at a high level, and the four others (on CJA05, CJA10 and CJA14) acted on the last part of the curve where persistency is determinant. The QTL for the central part of the curve was mapped at the same position on CJA06 than a genome-wide significant QTL for total egg number detected previously in the same F(2). CONCLUSION: Despite its limited scope (number of microsatellites, size of the phenotypic data set), this work has shown that it was possible to use the individual egg laying data collected daily to find new QTL which affect the shape of the egg laying curve. Beyond the present results, this new approach could also be applied to longitudinal traits in other species, like growth and lactation in ruminants, for which good marker coverage of the genome and theoretical models with a biological significance are available

A parameter identification problem in stochastic homogenization

In porous media physics, calibrating model parameters through experiments is a challenge. This process is plagued with errors that come from modelling, measurement and computation of the macroscopic observables through random homogenization -- the forward problem -- as well as errors coming from the parameters fitting procedure -- the inverse problem. In this work, we address these issues by considering a least-square formulation to identify parameters of the microscopic model on the basis on macroscopic observables. In particular, we discuss the selection of the macroscopic observables which we need to know in order to uniquely determine these parameters. To gain a better intuition and explore the problem without a too high computational load, we mostly focus on the one-dimensional case. We show that the Newton algorithm can be efficiently used to robustly determine optimal parameters, even if some small statistical noise is present in the system

Increase of egg weight with age in normal and dwarf, purebred and crossbred laying hens

An exponential curve, W = P - Q exp (-Rt) was fitted to egg weights (W) of individual hens from 8 genetic groups tested for egg production from 18-51 weeks of age (t). The groups were constituted of the combination of genotype at the sex-linked dwarfism locus (normal or dwarf) and line (White Leghorn, Brown Egg and both reciprocal crosses). The least-squares mean of the residual standard deviation about the curve was between 1.27 and 1.74 g in the 8 groups and estimated values of the initial P-Q and mature egg P weights were between 26.9 and 33.9 g and 56.9 and 65.8 g, respectively. Effects of genotype and line as well as heterosis were estimated for both egg weights and for rate of growth relative to the remaining expected growth (R). R was smaller for dwarf hens which thus reached mature egg weight later than normal females. Significant heterosis was found for both egg weights of dwarf hens (12.6 and 9.5%) and for the initial egg weight of normal ones (12.8%). Negative heterosis for R obtained for dwarf hens (-17.4%) corresponded to a flatter egg weight curve of these crossbreds.On a ajusté individuellement une courbe de la forme W = P - Q exp (-Rt) au poids de l’oeuf (W) mesuré entre 18 et 51 sem d’âge (t) chez des poules de 8 groupes génétiques définis par la combinaison du génotype au locus de nanisme lié au sexe (normal ou nain) et de la lignée (souche Leghorn blanche, souche à oeuf brun et leurs croisements réciproques). L’écart type résiduel après ajustement de la courbe exponentielle aux valeurs de poids, évalué pour chaque groupe par la méthode des moindres carrés, a pris des valeurs comprises entre 1,27 et 1,74 g. De la même manière, les estimations des poids du premier oeuf (P - Q) étaient situées entre 26,9 et 33,9 g, et celles de l’oeuf à maturité entre 56,9 et 65,8 g d’autre part. On a évalué les effets du génotype et de la lignée et l’hétérosis pour les poids de l’oeuf et l’accroissement de poids journalier relativement au poids restant à gagner (R). La valeur de R était inférieure pour les poules naines qui par conséquent ont atteint leur poids d’oeuf à maturité plus tard que les femelles normales. Un hétérosis significatif a été obtenu pour les 2 poids d’oeuf chez les poules naines (12,6 et 9,5%) et pour le poids du premier oeuf chez les femelles normales (12,8%). L’hétérosis négatif trouvé pour R chez les poules naines (-17,4%) correspond au fait que la courbe du poids de l’ceuf étaient plus aplatie chez les croisés de ce génotype

Recherche d'effets quantitatifs associés aux génotypes AA et Aa à un locus marqueur avec dominance complète: optimisation de l'épreuve de descendance pour l'identification des génotypes

International audienc

Investigation of the potential effects of transportation and lairage on the contamination of pig carcasses with Yersinia enterocolitica

Pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica is frequently isolated from pig tonsils, but can also be found in the feces and lymph nodes of infected animals; which represent potential sources for the surface carcass contamination during slaughter. The aim of the study was to investigate the respective effects of the transportation and lairage steps on the overall contamination of the carcass, taking also into account the contamination of their environment. Each Trial was conducted in two abattoirs, whose environmental contamination was assessed. In each abattoir, 6 trucks and 6 lairage pens were sampled in duplicate at the end of the day, for 5 consecutive days, in spring and autumn. Four groups of 8 pigs from the Anses Specific Pathogen-Free herd (SPF) were mixed with conventional pigs for different contact times during transportation (1h) or lairage (2, 4 or 8h) prior to slaughter, and one group had no contact with other pigs. Each group of SPF pigs was sampled at the end of the slaughter line for the presence of pathogenic Y. enterocolitica for internal (tonsils, caecal content, mesenteric lymph nodes) and external (carcass surface) contamination. Samples were placed in ITC broth for enrichment at 25°C for 48h. Broth was streaked on CIN plates. After 24H at 30°C, typical colonies were streaked on YeCM plates. Biochemical tests were done to confirm Y. enterocolitica and to identify the biotype. The environmental contamination of trucks and lairage was very low. Y. enterocolitica was only detected in 11/240 lairage swabs. All internal and external samples from SPF pigs mixed with conventional pigs during transportation or lairage were negative after slaughter. Four tonsils of the SPF pigs slaughtered directly on the slaughter line after 4 hours of activity, with no prior contact with conventional pigs, and one of the corresponding surface carcasses, were found positive in one abattoir. In our experimental conditions with SPF pigs, we were not able to demonstrate contamination by contact with conventional pigs during transportation and lairage steps, whose environmental contamination appeared to be scarce. Limited cross contaminations were observed during the slaughter process, which emphasizes the importance of good hygiene procedures to limit carcass contamination by pathogenic Y. enterocolitica

Direct radiative effect of the Russian wildfires and its impact on air temperature and atmospheric dynamics during August 2010

International audienceIn this study, we investigate the shortwave aerosol direct radiative forcing (ADRF) and its feedback on air temperature and atmospheric dynamics during a major fire event that occurred in Russia during August 2010. The methodology is based on an offline coupling between the CHIMERE chemistry-transport and the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) models. First, simulations for the period 5–12 August 2010 have been evaluated by using AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) and satellite measurements of the POLarization and Directionality of the Earth's Reflectance (POLDER) and the Cloud-Aerosol LIdar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) sensors. During this period, elevated POLDER aerosol optical thickness (AOT) is found over a large part of eastern Europe, with values above 2 (at 550 nm) in the aerosol plume. According to CALIOP observations, particles remain confined to the first five kilometres of the atmospheric layer. Comparisons with satellite measurements show the ability of CHIMERE to reproduce the regional and vertical distribution of aerosols during their transport from the source region. Over Moscow, AERONET measurements indicate an important increase of AOT (340 nm) from 0.7 on 5 August to 2–4 between 6 and 10 August when the aerosol plume was advected over the city. Particles are mainly observed in the fine size mode (radius in the range 0.2–0.4 μm) and are characterized by elevated single-scattering albedo (SSA) (0.95–0.96 between 440 and 1020 nm). Comparisons of simulations with AERONET measurements show that aerosol physical–optical properties (size distribution, AOT, SSA) have been well simulated over Moscow in terms of intensity and/or spectral dependence. Secondly, modelled aerosol optical properties have been used as input in the radiative transfer code of WRF to evaluate their direct radiative impact. Simulations indicate a significant reduction of solar radiation at the ground (up to 80–150 W m−2 in diurnal averages over a large part of eastern Europe due to the presence of the aerosol plume. This ADRF causes an important reduction of the near-surface air temperature between 0.2 and 2.6° on a regional scale. Moscow has been affected by the aerosol plume, especially between 6 and 10 August. During this period, aerosol causes a significant reduction of surface shortwave radiation (up to 70–84 W m−2 in diurnal averages) with a moderate part (20–30%) due to solar absorption within the aerosol layer. The resulting feedbacks lead to a cooling of the air up to 1.6° at the surface and 0.1° at an altitude of 1500–2000 m (in diurnal averages), that contribute to stabilize the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). Indeed, a reduction of the ABL height of 13 to 65% has been simulated during daytime in presence of aerosols. This decrease is the result of a lower air entrainment as the vertical wind speed in the ABL is shown to be reduced by 5 to 80% (at midday) when the feedback of the ADRF is taken into account. However, the ADRF is shown to have a lower impact on the horizontal wind speed, suggesting that the dilution of particles would be mainly affected by the weakening of the ABL development and associated vertical entrainment. Indeed, CHIMERE simulations driven by the WRF meteorological fields including this ADRF feedback result in a large increase in the modelled near-surface PM10 concentrations (up to 99%). This is due to their lower vertical dilution in the ABL, which tend to reduce model biases with the ground PM10 values observed over Moscow during this specific period