Polymorphism of Prolactin Gene and Its Association with Egg Production Trait in Four Commercial Chicken Lines

Δε διατίθεται περίληψη στα ελληνικάBroodiness is a behavioral trait observed in most common breeds of domestic fowl and due to its fundamental role in avian reproduction, it has been of great interest to poultry scientists, breeders and producers of hatching eggs. Prolactin gene (PRL) is generally accepted as crucial to the onset and maintenance of broodiness in birds and thus plays a crucial role in egg production. Therefore, the present study aimed to screen the Single Nucleotides Polymorphisms (SNPs) of prolactin gene in four commercial chicken lines namely Hubbard F15, Lohmann, Cobb500, and Avian48 using PCR and direct sequencing. A total number of forty chickens (ten females from each of the four commercial chicken lines) were used. Blood samples were collected aseptically from brachial (wing) vein of the chickens for genomic DNA extraction. PCR reaction was done using five pairs of primers, one sense (F) and one antisense (R) primer for each of the five exons of prolactin gene. Finally, DNA sequencing and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) analysis was done using Laser gene Megalign program. The results showed three SNPs in Hubbard F15 chicken line; one synonymous SNP at the position 3838 bp (ACC/ACT-transition) in exon 2 while in exon 5, two SNPs were detected; one non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism at the position 7921bp (CCT/TCT-transition) which results in amino acid changes at codon positions 169 (P/S), and one synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism at the position 8187 bp T/ C. The study concluded that this SNP in PRL gene could be used as the potential molecular markers for egg production traits in chicken

Establishing and characterizing a permanent magnet system for the prototype of NIS's Kibble balance

The Kibble balance experiment is used to redefine the kilogram as a unit of mass based on the Planck constant. To demonstrate and understand the basic principle of the Kibble balance, the National Institute of Standards (NIS)-Egypt has constructed a prototype Kibble balance that can measure gram-level masses with 0.01% relative uncertainty. Through the construction of this prototype, the challenges can be studied and addressed to overcome the weaknesses of NIS’s prototype. This study presents the design and construction of the prototype Kibble balance. It also focuses on the design and performance of the magnetic system, which is a crucial element of the Kibble balance. Analytical modeling and finite element analysis were used to evaluate and improve the magnet system. Several other aspects were also discussed, including the yoke’s material and enhancing the magnetic profile within the air gap of the magnet system. Over a vertical distance of 30 mm inside the air gap, the magnetic flux density was found to be 0.3 T, and the uniformity was found to be 8 x 10 -5

Exogenously applied salicylic acid boosts Morpho-Physiological traits, yield, and water productivity of lowland rice under normal and deficit irrigation

The main constraint on rice cultivation in the Mediterranean area is the limited irrigation and its large water consumption. In addition, rice is very sensitive to drought conditions because of drought stress on morpho-physiological traits and yield reduction. The application of salicylic acid (SA) has been noticed to be very effective in alleviating the adverse effects of drought stress on rice. The current investigation was conducted as a split-split arrangement under a randomized complete block design with two lowland rice cultivars (Giza177 and Giza179) and SA as a foliar application at four concentrations (0, 400, 700, and 1000 µM) under normal and drought conditions. The results showed that plant growth, leaf photosynthetic pigments, yields, and the most studied traits were significantly affected by irrigation (I), cultivar (C), and SA concentration (p ≤ 0.05 or 0.01). The interaction effect of I × C × SA was only significant on the carotenoids content (p ≤ 0.05). The reduction in grain yield and most studied traits was more pronounced under drought conditions. The Giza179 proved to be a drought-tolerant cultivar under all SA concentrations under drought conditions, while Giza177 was a drought-sensitive cultivar. The application of 700 µM SA gave the best grain yield in both rice cultivars under drought conditions compared to other SA concentrations. Grain yield for normal irrigation (Yp) and drought stress (Ys) conditions were highly positively correlated with indices of the mean productivity (MP), geometric mean productivity (GMP), stress tolerance index (STI), yield index (YI), yield stability index (YSI), drought resistance index (DI), harmonic mean (HM), and golden mean (GOL). While they are highly negatively correlated with the indices of the stress susceptibility index (SSI), tolerance index (TOL), yield reduction ratio (YR), stress susceptibility percentage index (SSPI), and abiotic tolerance index (ATI). It could be concluded that SA, as a growth regulator, could be used to alleviate the harmful effect of inadequate water availability in soil on rice cultivars as well as to improve the growth, water productivity, and grain yield

Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy for the determination of free gossypol in cottonseed meal

Gossypol is a toxic polyphenolic compound produced by the pigment glands of the cotton plant. The free gossypol content of cottonseed meal (CSM) is commonly determined by the American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS) wet chemistry method. The AOCS method, however, laboratory-intensive, time-consuming, and therefore, not practical for quick field analyses. To determine if the free gossypol content of CSM could be predicted by near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS), CSM samples were collected from all over the world. All CSM samples were ground and a portion of each analyzed for free gossypol by the AOCS procedure (reference data) and by NIRS (reflectance data). Both reflectance and reference data were combined in calibration. The coefficient of determination (r2) and standard error of prediction (SEP) were used to assess the calibration accuracy. The r2 was 0.728, and the SEP was 0.034 for the initial calibration that included samples from all over the world. However, the r2 and SEP improved to 0.921 and 0.014, respectively, if the calibration was made using CSM samples only from the United States. These results indicate that a general prediction equation can be developed to predict the free gossypol content of CSM by NIRS. From a practical standpoint, NIRS technology provides a method for quickly assessing whether a particular batch of CSM has a free gossypol content low enough to be suitable for use in poultry diets.This research was supported in part by grant 05-635GA from the Georgian Cotton Commission, Perry, G

Robust diffraction-limited near-infrared-to-near-ultraviolet wide-field imaging from stratospheric balloon-borne platforms — super-pressure balloon-borne imaging telescope performance

At a fraction of the total cost of an equivalent orbital mission, scientific balloon-borne platforms, operating above 99.7% of the Earth’s atmosphere, offer attractive, competitive, and effective observational capabilities—namely, space-like seeing, transmission, and backgrounds—which are well suited for modern astronomy and cosmology. The Super-pressure Balloon-borne Imaging Telescope (SUPERBIT) is a diffraction-limited, wide-field, 0.5 m telescope capable of exploiting these observing conditions in order to provide exquisite imaging throughout the near-infrared to near-ultraviolet. It utilizes a robust active stabilization system that has consistently demonstrated a 48 mas 1σ sky-fixed pointing stability over multiple 1 h observations at float. This is achieved by actively tracking compound pendulations via a three-axis gimballed platform, which provides sky-fixed telescope stability at < 500 mas and corrects for field rotation, while employing high-bandwidth tip/tilt optics to remove residual disturbances across the science imaging focal plane. SUPERBIT’s performance during the 2019 commissioning flight benefited from a customized high-fidelity science-capable telescope designed with an exceptional thermo- and opto-mechanical stability as well as a tightly constrained static and dynamic coupling between high-rate sensors and telescope optics. At the currently demonstrated level of flight performance, SUPERBIT capabilities now surpass the science requirements for a wide variety of experiments in cosmology, astrophysics, and stellar dynamics

Monthly Monitoring of the Nutrient Status in Citrus Leaves as a Guide for Proper Fertilization

A field study was conducted with five citrus cultivars grown in clay soil in Kewesna, Monufia, Egypt for two successive growing seasons. The study aimed at using nutrient concentrations in the leaves as a guide for proper fertilization. The study revealed that most of the nutrients in the soil were at adequate levels. However, there were unfavorable soil conditions that affected negatively nutrient availability, Nutrient concentrations in the leaves of the five cultivars were nearly the same, except for a few cases. Leaf nitrogen concentrations were at adequate levels. To minimize the usage of fertilizers, the quantity of N-fertilizer should not exceed 100 kg N per feddan, added as three doses in September, March and June. Phosphorus fertilizers should be added in September and when another dose is needed, it should be in May. For such a clay soil, nearly double the potassium requirement of the crop should be added as split application. More attention should be given to magnesium fertilization. Micronutrients concentrations were at adequate levels. However, under such soil conditions, fertilizers of acidic reactions are recommended and micronutrients should be supplied as foliar sprays in September, March and May. Adequate levels of the nutrients in the 5-7 months spring flush together with the high obtained yields suggest that the obtained levels of the nutrients (except copper) can be used as a basis to correct the fertilizer programmes at any growth stage

Characteristics and mitigation strategies for cell phone use while driving among young drivers in Qatar

There is no doubt that cell phone use while driving can lead to a higher probability of driver error, which increases the likelihood of more crashes. In Qatar, the high rate of cell phone use while driving among young drivers is a major traffic safety concern. The objectives of this study are to identify the factors affecting this hazardous behavior and to suggest practical solutions to deter this specific category of drivers from driving while distracted. The study combined stated and revealed preference questions to design a detailed survey questionnaire. Data were collected from a sample of 403 young drivers. The structural equation modeling results showed that, for the revealed preference, conducting public campaigns may provide a suitable solution to reduce cell phone usage while driving. On the other hand, increasing enforcement did not seem to have a significant effect on reducing this type of behavior. For the stated preference, young drivers who had a crash history resulting from cell phone usage tend to use their cell phones less than those who did not have a cell phone related crash. Furthermore, the driving experience and safe duration of distraction had a significant effect on the cell phone usage. Based on the results, it is recommended to provide road safety campaigns to educate young drivers on the risk associated with such behavior. This information is valuable to legislators and traffic safety experts dealing with this problem in Qatar and other countries in the region. - 2018 Elsevier LtdThis report was made possible by a UREP award [ UREP 15-065-3-016 ] from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of The Qatar Foundation) . The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors.Scopu