Impact of fitting dominance and additive effects on accuracy of genomic prediction of breeding values in layers

Most genomic prediction studies fit only additive effects in models to estimate genomic breeding values (GEBV). However, if dominance genetic effects are an important source of variation for complex traits, accounting for them may improve the accuracy of GEBV. We investigated the effect of fitting dominance and additive effects on the accuracy of GEBV for eight egg production and quality traits in a purebred line of brown layers using pedigree or genomic information (42K single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) panel). Phenotypes were corrected for the effect of hatch date. Additive and dominance genetic variances were estimated using genomic‐based [genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP)‐REML and BayesC] and pedigree‐based (PBLUP‐REML) methods. Breeding values were predicted using a model that included both additive and dominance effects and a model that included only additive effects. The reference population consisted of approximately 1800 animals hatched between 2004 and 2009, while approximately 300 young animals hatched in 2010 were used for validation. Accuracy of prediction was computed as the correlation between phenotypes and estimated breeding values of the validation animals divided by the square root of the estimate of heritability in the whole population. The proportion of dominance variance to total phenotypic variance ranged from 0.03 to 0.22 with PBLUP‐REML across traits, from 0 to 0.03 with GBLUP‐REML and from 0.01 to 0.05 with BayesC. Accuracies of GEBV ranged from 0.28 to 0.60 across traits. Inclusion of dominance effects did not improve the accuracy of GEBV, and differences in their accuracies between genomic‐based methods were small (0.01–0.05), with GBLUP‐REML yielding higher prediction accuracies than BayesC for egg production, egg colour and yolk weight, while BayesC yielded higher accuracies than GBLUP‐REML for the other traits. In conclusion, fitting dominance effects did not impact accuracy of genomic prediction of breeding values in this population.     

芒颖大麦草种子休眠类型及破除方法的初步研究

以采集于甘肃省临泽县境内的芒颖大麦草(Hordeum jubatum)种子为材料,测定了种子的休眠率,并研究了去除种柄、预先冷冻、预先干热、硝酸钾(KNO_3)、赤霉素(GA3)、蒸馏水浸种和开水浸种7种处理方法破除休眠的效果。结果显示,参试种子的休眠率为73%~77%。预先冷冻、预先干热、KNO_3、GA3和蒸馏水浸种均能显著降低参试种子的休眠率(P0.05),但以预先冷冻和GA3溶液预湿发芽床两种处理的效果为最好。预先冷冻和GA3处理后种子的萌发率和萌发指数达到最大值,分别为92%、89%和39.80、42.99;平均萌发时间为最小值,分别为2.43和3.10d。去除种柄和开水浸种均未能有效破除种子休眠(P0.05)。综上分析认为,参试种子休眠属于轻度生理休眠。     

苜蓿、小麦、玉米经济效益比较

基于甘肃省5个样本县的调研数据,对农户苜蓿(Medicago sativa)、小麦(Triticum aestivum)和玉米(Zea mays)种植的投入和产出、要素产出弹性和要素边际产出进行测算并比较。结果表明,苜蓿在三者中投入最少,玉米产出最高,而苜蓿产出最低;现阶段小麦和玉米处于规模报酬递减阶段而苜蓿处于规模报酬递增阶段,苜蓿产业有很大的上升空间;小麦和玉米各要素边际产量基本趋近于零,苜蓿种子投入和肥料投入的边际产量均远大于零,增加苜蓿种子和肥料投入可实现苜蓿增产。     

乙醇回流法提取伸筋草总黄酮工艺及其体外抗氧化活性

以伸筋草为试材,在单因素试验的基础上,以总黄酮提取率为指标,采用正交实验L9(34)优化乙醇辅助回流提取总黄酮的最佳工艺条件,并通过总黄酮对羟基自由基和1,1-苯基-2-苦肼基自由基的清除能力来评价其抗氧化性。结果表明:最佳提取工艺参数为乙醇体积分数75%,液料比60∶1mL/g,提取时间150min,提取温度80℃,在此条件下,总黄酮的平均提取率为1.82%;总黄酮质量浓度为0.014 0mg/mL时,对·OH和DPPH·的清除率可分别达72.65%和93.02%,说明总黄酮对·OH和DPPH·有较好的清除能力。     

一种茶园小绿叶蝉抗药性快速检测方法的研究

茶小绿叶蝉具有虫体较小易隐蔽、行动活跃易逃脱、若虫脆弱易死亡等特点,导致室外捕虫工作量大、室内挑虫分装处理困难,是阻碍该虫抗药性研究进展缓慢的重要原因.通过采集叶蝉发生茶园嫩梢于室内水培、培育小绿叶蝉;通过调节改进的粉尘采样设备的不同采样流量收集叶蝉于带芽离心管;最后,通过联苯菊酯处理离心管内芽叶,测定管内小绿叶蝉的LC50值,校验方法的可行性.研究结果表明,田间虫口密度为1.538(头·梢-1)的茶园,室内水培7 d后可孵化出若虫至3.181(头·梢-1),收集室内叶蝉可减少室外采虫工作量.采用10 L·min-1的采虫流量,叶蝉收集速度快,且存活率为100%,改进的设备可简化挑虫难题.联苯菊酯对叶蝉的LC50为163.55 mg·L-1,毒力测定方法快速简便.     

In vivo activity of cefquinome against Riemerella anatipestifer using the pericarditis model in the duck

Cefquinome is a fourth‐generation cephalosporin with broad‐spectrum antibacterial activity, including activity against enteric gram‐negative bacilli such as Riemerella anatipestifer. The pericarditis model was used to examine the pharmacodynamic characteristics of cefquinome against R. anatipestifer. Serum levels of cefquinome following the administration of different doses were determined by LC‐MS/MS. Ducks with ca. 10⁶ CFU/mL at the initiation of therapy were treated with cefquinome at doses that ranged from 0.0156 to 2 mg/kg of body weight/day (in 3, 6, 12, or 24 divided doses) for 24 h. The percentage of a 24‐h dosing interval that the unbound serum cefquinome concentrations exceeded the MIC (fT > MIC) were the pharmacokinetic (PK)–pharmacodynamic (PD) parameter that best correlated with efficacy (R² 86.3% for R. anatipestifer, compared with 58.9% for the area under the concentration–time curve/MIC and 10.6% for peak/MIC). A sigmoid E_max model was used to estimate the magnitudes of the %fT > MIC associated with net bacterial stasis, a 1‐log₁₀ CFU reduction from baseline, and a 2‐log₁₀ CFU reduction from baseline; the corresponding values were (22.5 ± 1.3) %, (35.2 ± 4.5) %, and (42.4 ± 2.7) %. These data showed that treatment with cefquinome results in marked antibacterial effects in qvivo against R. anatipestifer and that the host's immunity may also play a key role in the anti‐infective therapy process.     

Transport stress induces pig jejunum tissue oxidative damage and results in autophagy/mitophagy activation

Pig transportation is associated with intestinal oxidative stress and results in destruction of intestinal integrity. Autophagy has been contributed to maintain cell homeostasis under stresses. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of transport stress on morphology, intestinal mucosal barrier and autophagy/mitophagy levels in pig jejunum. A total of 16 finishing pigs were randomly divided into two groups. The control group was directly transported to the slaughterhouse and rested for 24 hr. The experimental groups were transported for 5 hr and slaughtered immediately. The results showed that transportation induced obvious stress responses with morphological and histological damage in jejunum accompanying with an elevated level of malondialdehyde (MDA; p < .05), endotoxin (LPS; p < .05), lactic dehydrogenase (LDH; p < .05) and a decreased level of serum superoxide dismutase (SOD; p < .05). Also, hemeoxy genase 1 (HO‐1; p < .01) as well as tight junction protein (claudin‐1 [p < .001], occludin [p < .05] and zonula occludens 1 [ZO‐1; p < 0.05]) levels were attenuated in jejunum tissue, and NADPH oxidase 1 (NOX1; p < .01) mRNA expression was up‐regulated. Further research indicated that transport stress could induce autophagy through increasing microtubule‐associated protein light chain 3 (LC3; p < .05) and autophagy‐related gene 5 (ATG5; p < .01) levels and suppressing p62 expression. Additionally, transport stress increased the protein levels of PTEN‐induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1; p < .05) and Parkin (p < .05) which was associated with mitophagy. In conclusions, transport stress could induce the destruction of intestinal integrity and involve in the intestinal mucosal barrier oxidative damage, and also contribute to activation of autophagy/mitophagy.     

Preparation,characterization, and pharmacokinetics in swine of a florfenicol enteric formulation prepared using hot‐melt extrusion technology

The objective of this work was to manufacture an enteric formulation of florfenicol (FF) using hot‐melt extrusion (HME) technology and to evaluate its in vitro dissolution and in vivo pharmacokinetics. For the HME process, hypromellose acetate succinate LG (HPMCAS‐LG) was the enteric polymer mixed with FF, and the two components were extruded with a standard screw configuration at a speed of 50 rpm. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR) were performed to characterize the HME extrudate. The release percentage of the enteric formulation in the acidic stage was <10% of the loaded FF, whereas that in the phosphate buffer stage was >80%. Pharmacokinetic evaluations in swine revealed that the enteric formulation had a longer t_1/2λ and MRT than commercially available FF powder (FULAIKA^®), indicating that the novel formulation exhibited enteric and sustained release properties. Compared with the commercial product, the relative bioavailability of the enteric formulation reached up to 117.2%. This study suggests that this formulation may have potential for future commercialization.     

青藏高原东部乡土植物对高寒沙化草地土壤性质的影响

以青藏高原东部高寒沙化草地为研究对象,通过比较分析狭叶红景天(Rhodiola rosea)、硬秆仲彬草(Kengyilia rigidula)、垂穗披碱草(Elymus nutans)和高山红柳(Salix cupularis)4种乡土植物对沙化草地的土壤理化性质、土壤酶活性及微生物生物量的影响,旨在为高寒草地沙化地生态植被的重建与恢复选择适宜的治理植物提供理论依据。结果显示:1)种植4种植物治理恢复5年后,土壤含水量均有显著升高(P0.05),土壤容重和土壤pH有不同程度的下降,垂穗披碱草处理下土壤含水量最高,与对照相较增加了357.70%;2)植被恢复显著提高了土壤中与碳氮磷循环相关的各种酶的活性(P0.05),其中狭叶红景天样地中的土壤纤维素酶、过氧化物酶、蔗糖酶、蛋白酶和磷酸酶活性最高,分别为对照的3.19、1.98、3.22、1.87和4.59倍。3)种植4种植物治理恢复5年后,不同土壤微生物生物量碳(MBC)、微生物生物量氮(MBN)均有显著提高(P0.05),狭叶红景天的MBC、MBN和微生物生物量碳氮比(MBC/MBN)均为最高,分别为对照的4.39、3.46和1.27倍;4)种植狭叶红景天和高山红柳样地,土壤酶活性与土壤理化性质及微生物生物量呈极显著(P0.01)和显著(P0.05)相关,种植垂穗披碱草样地,土壤酶活性与土壤理化性质及微生物生物量相关性较差。研究表明,4种植物种植5年后,狭叶红景天对高寒沙化草地的土壤特性改善更明显。