THE VARIANCE OF INTRACLASS CORRELATION INVOLVING GROUPS WITH ONE OBSERVATION

An approximate formula is derived for the variance of intraclass correlation when unequal numbers of observations per group occur. The effect on the variance of t of adding groups with single observations is examined using the formula and results obtained by empirically generating data on a computer. The empirical results indicate that the approximate formula is satisfactory over the range of numbers used. Adding a group with fewer than the average number of observations per group tends to reduce Vt by increasing the degrees of freedom for groups by one, but tends to increase Vt by decreasing the average precision of estimating group means. The net effect can be either negative or positive, depending on t, s and the ni’s. Robertson [1962] pointed out that, when the ratio of the between group mean square to the within group mean square is small, exclusion of groups below half the average size will reduce the variance of the between group component. He further suggested a method for combining estimates of the between group component when n is highly variable. Results using the formula show that the point where efficiency is lost when a group of size one is added is primarily a function of the number per group, and is affected very little by the number of groups. The value of n where groups of size one should be excluded is shown graphically for varying levels of t. Increases in Vt are demonstrated using the empirical data. The empirical results suggest that the increase in V t may be even larger than the formula indicates, especially for large values of t. Only the addition of groups of size one is studied. Adding small groups larger than one would also tend to increase Vtwhen n and t are small

Genetic and Environmental Factors Affecting the Suitability of Dogs as Guide Dogs for the Blind

Many dogs are found to be unsuitable for training as guide dogs for the blind. Consequently the Royal Guide Dogs for the Blind Association of Australia has embarked on a breeding program to produce a strain of labrador dogs which is suitable for guide dog training. The most common reasons for rejecting dogs are fearfulness, dog distraction, excitability, health and physical reasons and hip dysplasia. The selection program seems to have been successful in improving the success rate mainly by lowering fearfulness, but there has not been a continuing improvement. This is probably due to continual introduction of dogs from other populations into the breeding program. Males suffer from a higher rejection rate due to dog distraction and a lower rejection rate due to fearfulness and excitability than females, so that there is little sex difference in overall success rate. The heritability of success (0.44) is high enough to predict further progress from selection, again mainly against fearfulness. Variation in environment prior to 6 weeks of age, in age when dogs were placed into a private home and in age when males were castrated, had little effect on the success rate

Efeito da herança citoplasmática sobre características de produção em ovinos da raça merino Effects of cytoplasm inheritance on production traits of merino sheep

Para avaliar os efeitos de linhagem citoplasmática (LCT), foram usadas medidas de peso corporal (PC, n = 707) e peso de velo sujo (PVo, n = 703) de fêmeas e medidas de diâmetro das fibras de lã (DF, n = 350) de machos ovinos da raça Merino com um ano de idade. As informações de pedigree incluíram 3645 animais e, em média, 10 gerações. Foram usados a metodologia da Máxima Verossimilhança Restrita e o modelo animal que incluiu efeito genético direto, efeitos direto e de LCT, efeitos direto, materno e de LCT e efeitos direto, materno e permanente de meio materno. Efeitos fixos de ano e época de nascimento foram incluídos em todos os modelos. O teste da razão das verossimilhanças foi usado para comparar os modelos matemáticos. Não houve diferenças entre os modelos em que se incluiu ou não o efeito de LCT, indicando que os efeitos citoplasmáticos não foram importantes para as características estudadas. Para PC, os resultados indicaram haver confundimento parcial entre os efeitos genético aditivo materno, permanente de meio materno e de LCT. A importância relativa dos efeitos aditivos maternos foi maior para a característica PC (24,2%, no modelo mais simples; 7,9% no modelo mais completo) que para PVo e DF. A importância relativa dos efeitos aditivos diretos foi também maior para PC (24,5 a 37,1%, para os diferentes modelos), seguido de PVo (de 19,5 a 24,6%) e DF (de 16,3 a 21,0%). As estimativas de herdabilidade indicam que a seleção pode ser realizada com sucesso para as características peso corporal, peso de velo sujo e diâmetro das fibras de lã dos ovinos da raça Merino.<br>To evaluate the effects of cytoplasm lineage (CL) the body weight (BW, n = 707) and greasy fleece weight (FW, n = 703) of females and fiber wool diameter (FD, n = 350 males) of males sheep from yearling Merino sheep were used. The pedigree information included 3,645 animals and an average of 10 generations. The Maximum Restricted Likelihood methodology and animal models that included the direct genetic, direct and CL effects, direct, maternal and CL effects and direct, maternal, environmental maternal effects were used. Fixed effects of year and season of birth were included in all models. The likelihood ratio test was used for comparisons between the models. There were no differences between models including or not CL, indicating that CL effects were not important for the studied traits. For BW, the results indicated a partial confounding among the maternal additive genetic, environmental maternal and CL effects. The importance of maternal additive effects was greater for the BW traits (from 24.5% at least to 7.9% in the most comprehensive models) than for FW and FD. The relative importance of direct additive effects was also greater for BW (from 24.5 to 37,1%, for the different models), followed by FW (from 19.5 to 24.6%) and for FD (from16.3 to 21.0%). The heritability estimates indicated that the successful selection could be obtained for body weight, fleece weight ad fiber wool diameter of sheep Merino breed

Fatores ambientais e genéticos sobre o crescimento ao ano e ao sobreano de bovinos Nelore, criados no Nordeste do Brasil

Os dados de crescimento relativos a 2004 animais da raça zebuína Nelore, criados nos Estados do Ceará e do Piauí, foram usados para estudar a influência de fatores ambientais e estimar a herdabilidade das características peso aos 365 (ano) e 550 dias (sobreano) de idade. Os componentes de variância foram estimados pelo método da Máxima Verossimilhança Restrita. Na análise da variância foi usado um modelo que incluiu os efeitos fixos de sexo, ano, estação e rebanho de nascimento, a idade da mãe como covariável e o efeito aleatório de touro dentro de rebanho. Os efeitos fixos foram significativos para todas as características avaliadas. As médias ajustadas para esses efeitos foram: 186,16 ± 2,74 kg e 244,06 ± 5,23 kg, para os pesos aos 365 e 550 dias de idade, respectivamente. A idade da mãe ao parto influenciou somente o peso aos 365 dias, com peso máximo de 187,29 kg e idade em torno de nove anos. As estimativas de herdabilidade foram iguais a 0,56 ± 0,09 e 0,64 ± 0,12 para os pesos aos 365 e 550 dias, respectivamente.Data growth records relative to 2004 Nellore breed calves, from Ceará and Piauí states, were used to study the influence of environmental effects and to estimate the heritability of the weight traits at the 365 days (yearling) and 550 days (post-yearling) of age. The variance components were estimated by the restricted maximum likelihood method. In the analysis of variance a model that included the fixed effects of sex, year and season and herd of birth, and the age of dam as covariant and the random effect of sire within the herd, was used. The fixed effects of classification were significant for all evaluated traits. Least square means were 186.16 ± 2.74 kg and 244.06 ± 5.23 kg, for yearling and post-yearling weight respectively. Age of dam at calving influenced only the yearling weights, with estimated maximum weight of 187.29 kg and ages around nine years. Heritability estimates were .56 ± .09 and .64 ± .12, for yearling and post-yearling weight, respectively