Estimation of dominance effects for reproductive, growth and carcass traits of Pannon White rabbits

Authors analysed the reproductive, growth and slaughter records of Pannon White rabbits based on records collected between 1992 and 2014. The examined traits were: average daily gain (ADG), thigh muscle volume (TMV) and litter weight at day 21 (LW21). Genetic parameters were estimated using basic and extended (with dominance effects) single trait animal models using the REML procedure. Heritability estimates ranged between low and moderate for all traits (ADG: 0.25-0.3±0.01, TMV: 0.21-0.24±0.02-0.03, LW21: 0.07-0.19±0.01). Random litter effects were moderate for ADG (0.24-0.25±0.01) but were low for TMV (0.09-0.1±0.01-0.03). Magnitude of permanent environmental effects exceeded that of the heritability values for LW21 in most models. Applying the extended complete models dominance effects were low for ADG and TMV (0.03±0.01-0.02) and moderate for LW21 (0.23±0.01). Among the estimated genetic correlation coefficients, the observed negative value between ADG and TMV (-0.31±0.03) and between TMV and LW21 (-0.38±0.13) were unfavourable. Based on the different models the estimated breeding values showed high stability as their rank correlation coefficients were close to unity (0.93-0.99)

Ejaculate quality is influenced by boar behaviour at the time of collection

Ejaculates were collected from the same boars twice a week, in spring during two years. Most animals had very good sexual reflexes and were scored as 5. They gave ejaculates which had good volume, concentration and motility and could be processed into the largest number of insemination doses. This had an obvious positive economic effect. Age influenced ejaculate quality in young boars, with the exception of a few animals in which sexual reflexes were diminished. Nevertheless, ejaculates had the necessary characteristics and could be processed

Relative Intranuclear Magnesium and Phosphorus Contents in Normal and Tumor Cells of the Human Thyroid Gland as Revealed by Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Microanalysis

Energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis was performed on altogether 42 surgically removed tissue specimens of 32 patients, which were taken either from intact thyroid parts or various histopathologically verified tumors of the thyroid gland. The tissue specimens were processed with the freeze-fracture-freeze-drying technique and then analyzed in the so-called bulk specimen form. The studies were carried out during the years 1980-81, when intranuclear monovalent ionic composition was studied in detail. From the retained total elemental peak list, it was possible to calculate retrospectively the relative intranuclear Mg and P contents. The data processed by nested (hierarchical) analysis of variance show that the intranuclear Mg content of the 5 diagnostic groups (normal thyroid tissue, thyroiditis, benign adenomas, differentiated carcinomas and undifferentiated thyroid tumors) increases significantly, in parallel with the increasing malignancy, but the P content remains unchanged. One can conclude that the elevated intranuclear Mg content in the tumors of high malignancy may be of diagnostic importance, and a warning signal for the therapeutic approaches based on Mg-supplementations