Improving genomic prediction accuracy for meat tenderness in Nellore cattle using artificial neural networks

The goal of this study was to compare the predictive performance of artificial neural networks (ANNs) with Bayesian ridge regression, Bayesian Lasso, Bayes A, Bayes B and Bayes Cπ in estimating genomic breeding values for meat tenderness in Nellore cattle. The animals were genotyped with the Illumina Bovine HD Bead Chip (HD, 777K from 90 samples) and the GeneSeek Genomic Profiler (GGP Indicus HD, 77K from 485 samples). The quality control for the genotypes was applied on each Chip and comprised removal of SNPs located on non-autosomal chromosomes, with minor allele frequency <5%, deviation from HWE (p < 10^–6), and with linkage disequilibrium >0.8. The FImpute program was used for genotype imputation. Pedigree-based analyses indicated that meat tenderness is moderately heritable (0.35), indicating that it can be improved by direct selection. Prediction accuracies were very similar across the Bayesian regression models, ranging from 0.20 (Bayes A) to 0.22 (Bayes B) and 0.14 (Bayes Cπ) to 0.19 (Bayes A) for the additive and dominance effects, respectively. ANN achieved the highest accuracy (0.33) of genomic prediction of genetic merit. Even though deep neural networks are recognized to deliver more accurate predictions, in our study ANN with one single hidden layer, 105 neurons and rectified linear unit (ReLU) activation function was sufficient to increase the prediction of genetic merit for meat tenderness. These results indicate that an ANN with relatively simple architecture can provide superior genomic predictions for meat tenderness in Nellore cattle.     

Presence of congenital anomalies in three dog litters

This report describes multiple congenital malformations found in three dog litters delivered by emergency caesarean section. In all of the litters, some puppies were born alive but were euthanized because of the seriousness of their malformations and low probability of survival. In two litters, gastroschisis was associated with amelia of the right anterior limb. Other malformations such as anencephaly were also found in three puppies among the different litters. This report describes the morphological findings of the affected puppies, discusses the most appropriate terminologies for each case and highlights the importance of an epidemiological survey to identify potential factors associated with the cases.     

Effects of freshwater limitation on distribution patterns and habitat use of the West Indian manatee,Trichechus manatus,in the northern Brazilian coast

1. The West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) is a Vulnerable species threatened by habitat loss in the coast of north‐eastern Brazil. This study investigates how the distribution and habitat use of the West Indian manatee is influenced by resource availability in a scenario of freshwater limitation.
2. Land‐based and boat surveys were conducted to record manatee sightings and habitat use, in a total of 206 hours of observation.
3. Manatee abundance was significantly influenced by freshwater availability, with greater abundances occurring close to freshwater sources. Food availability and the variation in freshwater availability between seasons were also important to determine their distribution. For the 47 manatees sighted, 39 were recorded during the rainy season and eight during the dry season.
4. Habitat use was influenced by freshwater sources and manatees spent more time (average coefficient of area use = 24.96%) in areas with greater availability of fresh water. Under conditions of freshwater limitation, manatees were more abundant and spent more time closer to fresh water than to food sources; as a result, animals' distribution varied between seasons.
5. The results found here can help to determine conservation strategies for the region with the highest population density and genetic variability of West Indian manatees in Brazil.

     

Inclusion of β-1,3/1,6-glucan in the ornamental fish,Jewel tetra (Hyphessobrycon eques), and its effects on growth,blood glucose,and intestinal histology

The effects of β-1,3/1,6-glucan on Hyphessobrycon eques were assessed after 42 days of feeding diets containing 0 (control group given commercial feed), 0.5, 1, or 2 g β-glucan/kg diet. In total, 180 fish, with an initial weight of 0.43?±?0.03 g, were used. There were 15 fish in each of twelve 42-L aquariums, and there were 3 aquariums of fish for each dietary treatment. The fish were fed until apparent satiety. Performance parameters (final weight, total length, standard length, feed intake, survival rate, weight gain, feed conversion, specific growth rate, and condition factor) and plasma glucose concentration were measured. Histological analysis of the proximal portion of the intestine (width and height of the villi, depth of the crypts, height of the enterocytes, thickness of the muscle layer, and number of goblet cells) was performed. Different levels of the additive did not influence fish performance (for example, final weight: control: 0.63 g, 0.5: 0.60, 1: 0.58, and 2: 0.61). Likewise, there was no influence on the plasma glucose concentration (control: 81.80 mg/dL, 0.5: 75.33, 1: 85.00, and 2: 81.00) and intestinal morphometry of the animals. However, the results showed that 2.0 g/kg of β-1,3/1,6-glucan provided a greater abundance of goblet cells secreting acidic and neutral mucus present in the epithelium (periodic acid-Schiff: 66.67 cells, Alcian blue pH 1.0: 72,67 cells, and Alcian blue pH 2.5: 95.00 cells), showing significant differences when compared to animals in the control group, which may represent better protection of the intestinal epithelium of H. eques.

     

Fall fertilization of Holm oak affects N and P dynamics,root growth potential,and post-planting phenology and growth

• Introduction   

For Holm oak (Quercus ilex L.), a flush growing species, nutrient loading during the growing season is difficult and can lead to a low nutrient status of the seedlings. To provide insights about Holm oak nutrient dynamics during fall in the nursery and subsequent planting performance, a factorial nursery experiment was conducted in a mild fall–winter area testing the effects of timing of fertilization (early and late fall) and rate (two doses of a NPK fertilizer that applied 28 and 56 mg N per seedling), followed by an experimental plantation.     

Resistant Starch Formation in Tortillas from an Ecological Nixtamalization Process

The objective of this work was to study the formation of resistant starch (RS) in tortillas from an ecological nixtamalization process compared with the traditional nixtamalization process. The RS increased through all the steps of tortilla production. It was found that the increase of the RS corresponds mainly to the formation of RS5 (V‐amylose‐lipid complex), but in tortillas two major types of RS coexist: RS5 and RS3 (retrograded starch). In general, tortillas from the ecological nixtamalization process gave higher values of protein, lipids, total dietary fiber, insoluble fiber, soluble fiber, and RS compared with tortillas from the traditional nixtamalization process and commercial flour. The highest glycemic index (GI) occurred in the tortillas from commercial flour, whereas tortillas from 0.4% CaCO₃ and 0.6% CaSO₄ were classified as medium‐GI (GI 50–70). Tortillas from 0.6% CaCl₂ had the lowest value of GI. The ecological nixtamalization processes caused significant differences in quality and nutritional properties of tortillas.     

Cannibalism of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brontocoris tabidus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Podisus nigrispinus</Emphasis> during periods of pre-release without food or fed with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eucalyptus cloeziana</Emphasis> plants

Pre-release techniques aim to increase the searching by the predators for their prey. Keeping bug predators for periods without food before their release can increase the search ability of these insects. However, this practice can increase the cannibalism during mass rearing. Brontocoris tabidus (Signoret) and Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) were kept for 12, 24, 36 and 48 h without food or with only Eucalyptus cloeziana plants in order to verify the occurrence of cannibalism on adults and eggs. Insects kept for periods longer than 24 h showed higher cannibalism on adults and eggs and the presence of a E. cloeziana plant decreased the cannibalism during all the treatment periods. These predators preferred to attack first the eggs rather than the adults, probably because of the inability of the former to avoid predation. The pre-release period should not exceed 24 h and plants must be provided to the predators in order to reduce the occurrence of cannibalism and increase the predatory capacity of these natural enemies.     

A global stochastic index for water quality: The case of the river Turia in Spain

Which are applicable in all Member States. Those directives specify a set of physical and chemical characteristics, which depend on the use the water is intended for, the parameters to be regularly controlled in a network of sampling points, and the limiting values of those parameters for each quality level. Hence, an administrative quality classification for each sampling point is obtained. This article proposes a stochastic quality index that takes into account the uncertainty surrounding the quality classification still remaining after the data have been observed. This stochastic index is built with the probability classification vector of each parameter. In order to obtain those vectors, a mixed-lognormal model is introduced and its statistical analysis developed. The methodology proposed here is then applied to the data observed in the La Presa station, one of the sampling points of the Spanish surface water quality network. Located on the river Turia, near the city of Valencia, its aim is to control the quality of water intended for the abstraction of drinking water. Its stochastic quality classification is obtained and compared with the legally applicable administrative one.     

Morphophysiological variation in some Mexican species of vegetable Amaranthus: evolutionary tendencies under domestication

Summary Amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) is an important food resource for indigenous peoples of México. Grain-producing species are mostly cultivated plants, while the species used as vegetables are commonly encouraged in maize plots. Notable biological differences exist between these two types of amaranths. This study analyzes the morphophysiological variation in some Mexican species of Amaranthus and its relationship to the use and management of this taxa. A sample of individuals grown from 14 field collections representing 3 species and putative hybrid derivatives were grown in experimental plots and 18 morphological and physiological characters were measured. A statistical multivariate analysis was performed on these data. The results show that the grain-producing plants tend to allocate a high proportion of energy to the production of inflorescences while the plants used as vegetables allocate a higher proportion of biomass to the foliage. This suggests thatdomestication of Mexican species of Amaranthus have taken two different evolutionary paths depending upon the form of use and management by humans.     

Effect of beta-glycosidase activity of Oenococcus oeni on the glycosylated flavor precursors of Tannat wine during malolactic fermentation

Under traditional wine-making conditions, this work examines the beta-glycosidic activity of Oenococcus oeni on glycosylated aroma compounds of Tannat wines during malolactic fermentation (MLF) by comparing the changes on selected aglycones liberated. MLF diminished the content of all the glycosylated compounds. The level of the free aroma components was slightly modified by the action of the malolactic fermentation so that the cleavage of the glycosidic linkage by the beta-glycosidic activity of O. oeni did not appear to increase significatively the aglycone contents. The consequences of further chemical rearrangements of the algycones under wine conditions were explored using synthesized glycoconjugates on synthetic medium. Bacteria could also be responsible for the cleavage of aroma glycosylated compounds, being the aglycone adsorbed on polysaccharides or peptidoglycans and was released into the external medium. This hypothesis was studied through the evaluation of a stable arrangement of aroma compounds with polysaccharides produced by lactic acid bacteria. A possible retaining of free-made aroma compounds into the whole cells of O. oeni was also investigated through cell culture analysis. Through the results obtained, we assume stable linkage of aroma compounds with bacterial polysaccharides.