A first step toward genomic selection in the multi-breed French dairy goat population

The objectives of this study were to describe, using the goat SNP50 BeadChip (Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA), molecular data for the French dairy goat population and compare the effect of using genomic information on breeding value accuracy in different reference populations. Several multi-breed (Alpine and Saanen) reference population sizes, including or excluding female genotypes (from 67 males to 677 males, and 1,985 females), were used. Genomic evaluations were performed using genomic best linear unbiased predictor for milk production traits, somatic cell score, and some udder type traits. At a marker distance of 50 kb, the average r² (squared correlation coefficient) value of linkage disequilibrium was 0.14, and persistence of linkage disequilibrium as correlation of r-values among Saanen and Alpine breeds was 0.56. Genomic evaluation accuracies obtained from cross validation ranged from 36 to 53%. Biases of these estimations assessed by regression coefficients (from 0.73 to 0.98) of phenotypes on genomic breeding values were higher for traits such as protein yield than for udder type traits. Using the reference population that included all males and females, accuracies of genomic breeding values derived from prediction error variances (model accuracy) obtained for young buck candidates without phenotypes ranged from 52 to 56%. This was lower than the average pedigree-derived breeding value accuracies obtained at birth for these males from the official genetic evaluation (62%). Adding females to the reference population of 677 males improved accuracy by 5 to 9% depending on the trait considered. Gains in model accuracies of genomic breeding values ranged from 1 to 7%, lower than reported in other studies. The gains in breeding value accuracy obtained using genomic information were not as good as expected because of the limited size (at most 677 males and 1,985 females) and the structure of the reference population.     

Comparison of initial fixation strength between biodegradable and metallic interference screws and a press-fit fixation technique in a porcine model

We describe nuchal cord changes in four children with os odontoideum who had cervical spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before surgery. In these four children, nuchal cord changes consistent with previous trauma were seen. The presence of the nuchal cord changes supports the concept of trauma as an etiologic factor in these four cases. This study supports trauma as an associated factor in patients with os odontoideum.     

Invasive mold sinusitis: 17 cases in immunocompromised patients and review of the literature

A 10-year retrospective analysis of invasive mold infections in hospitalized patients was performed to characterize the epidemiology and clinical features of invasive fungal sinusitis. Seventeen cases of invasive mold sinusitis were identified. Eleven cases were caused by Aspergillus flavus, three were caused by unspecified species, and one each was caused by Aspergillus fumigatus, Rhizopus species, and Alternaria species, respectively. Fifteen patients had hematologic malignancies, and two had end-stage liver disease. The most common presenting symptom was periorbital swelling (seven patients). Sinusitis was diagnosed a median of 19 days after admission. Eight patients (47%) survived; six of these patients were treated with both amphotericin B and surgery. Postmortem examination of six patients showed evidence of disseminated disease; the brain was the most common extrapulmonary site (four patients). To our knowledge, this is the largest currently reported series on invasive mold sinusitis; our report extends the information on invasive mold sinusitis and shows that aggressive therapeutic and surgical interventions are needed to prevent rapid progression of disease in immunocompromised patients.     

Effects of autografting ovarian tissue,ovariectomy and implanting on growth rate and carcass characteristics of feedlot heifers

Ninety heifers sired by Charolais or Red Poll bulls were utilised in two trials involving ovariectomy, ovarian tissue transplants (autografts) andlor an anabolic implant. In trial 1, four treatments were imposed upon 60 heifers: (1) autograft, (2) autograft plus Synovex-H® implant, (3) vaginal ovariectomy plus implant, and (4) intact plus implant. Three replications of five heifers per treatment were fed a finishing diet until heifers weighed approximately 432 kg. Autografed-implanted heifers exhibited a greater average daily gain than non-implanted autografted heifers (P < 0.05). No treatment effects were detected for feed eficiency or dressing percentage. Carcasses from autografted heifers merited higher marbling scores and USDA quality grades than did those of ovariectomised-implanted heifers. Fat thickness tended to be greater for autografted heifers than for heifers in the implant treatment groups (P <0.l0). Non-implanted autografted heifers had smaller ribeye areas, more kidney, pelvic and heart fat, and higher numerical USDA yield grades. Shear force values and taste panel scores for meat favoured non-implanted autografted heifers. In trial 2, 30 heifers were autografted, ovariectomised via high lumbar laparotomy, or left as intact controls. Heifers in trial 2 were fed a finishing diet until heifers reached 1.2 ern average backfat thickness. Intact heifers tended to gain weight more rapidly than did ovariectomised heifers. Ovarian cell types were detected at the graft sites of only four of the 10 autografted heifers upon post-mortem histological examination. Very low levels of oestrogen were present in the fluid aspirated from three of the apparently successful grafts. However, growth rate was not superior for these three heifers.     

Bursting in the LMS algorithm

The least mean square (LMS) algorithm is known to converge in the mean and in the mean square. However, during short time periods, the error sequence can blow up and cause severe disturbances, especially for non-Gaussian processes. The paper discusses potential short time unstable behavior of the LMS algorithm for spherically invariant random processes (SIRP) like Gaussian, Laplacian, and K₀. The result of this investigation is that the probability for bursting decreases with the step size. However, since a smaller step size also causes a slower convergence rate, one has to choose a tradeoff between convergence speed and the frequence of bursting     

High level expression of the IL-1 receptor related T1 receptor in insect cells

Baculovirus-dependent expression of membrane-associated and secreted, heavily modified proteins in insect cells often results in low yields. To optimize expression of T1, a heavily glycosylated receptor related to Interleukin-1 receptor type I, deletion mutants comprising either the heavily glycosylated extracellular domain or the isolated transmembrane and cytoplasmic portions of the T1 receptor were expressed from recombinant baculoviruses. As shown here, the use of a Baculovirus-derived leader sequence (GP67) in combination with an insect cell line with increased secretory capacity resulted in yields of several mg per liter (10(9) cells) of culture of both purified secretory T1 glycoprotein and membrane-associated T1 receptor.