This paper presents an experimental methodology to determine plated and intact femur strains usin... more This paper presents an experimental methodology to determine plated and intact femur strains using fiber Bragg gratings and strain gauges. A plated and an intact synthetic femur were used and loaded under a simplistic static load of 600 N. A stainless steel (316L) plate was used to fixate a simulated 45° fracture on one femur. Strains were recoded at the same sites on both femurs. Strain shielding is shown to be more pronounced at the distal region of the plated femur. The experimental methodology based on fiber Bragg grating sensors is a novel approach to assess bone plate strains, which could also be used to obtain biologic tissue and implant surface strains in locations where conventional strain gauge use is not technically feasible.
Random regression models were used to estimate genetic parameters for test-day milk yield (PLDC) ... more Random regression models were used to estimate genetic parameters for test-day milk yield (PLDC) of Alpine dairy goats, implemented by Bayesian methods with Gibbs Sampling. The estimates were compared with those obtained by random regression analysis, using REML. Heritability estimates obtained by Bayesian analysis ranged from 0.18 to 0.37, while those obtained by REML ranged from 0.09 to 0.32. Genetic correlations between yields of close test days approached the unit, but decreased gradually as the interval between test days increased. Results indicated that random regression models are appropriate to model the covariance structure of PLDC and to predict genetic gains and select animals along the lactation trajectory of dairy goats. Results obtained by Bayesian and REML approaches were similar, although genetic variance and heritability estimates were slightly higher with Bayesian methods.
Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia
The myogenin gene, a member of the MyoD gene family, is a regulator of the myogenesis that takes ... more The myogenin gene, a member of the MyoD gene family, is a regulator of the myogenesis that takes place during the embryonic development. The objective of this study was to perform a phylogenic analysis of the myogenin gene to study its evolutionary history in the domestic species that have the sequencing data deposited in the Genbank. One common method to detect a gene evolution is made by comparing the ratio of nonsynonymous nucleotide substitution by the ratio of synonymous substitutions. Values greater than one (1) means that the gene has gone through changes that made the organism more adapted to the environment. The phylogenetic trees were obtained by maximum likelihood and the synonymous and nonsynonymous substitution rates were analyzed by the parsimony method. The results point out that probably the gene suffered an adaptive evolution in the Ruminantia group, Bos Taurus and Ovis aries, after these species diverged from their common ancestral. In the other species, the gene s...
Um estudo de simulação foi realizado para verificar a eficiência e o poder dos modelos aleatórios... more Um estudo de simulação foi realizado para verificar a eficiência e o poder dos modelos aleatórios na estimação da localização e dos componentes de variância relativos a dois QTL presentes no mesmo cromossomo, posicionados no mesmo intervalo, em intervalos adjacentes e não-adjacentes, com diferentes tamanhos e números de famílias de irmãos completos e variâncias dos QTL, em característica com herdabilidade igual a 0,25. A estimação dos parâmetros foi obtida por meio do método da máxima verossimilhança, baseado no quadrado da diferença de pares de irmãos, sob mapeamento por intervalo. A proporção de genes idênticos por descendência (IBD) do QTL foi estimada a partir da proporção IBD de dois marcadores flanqueadores. Os fatores que mais influenciaram as estimativas dos parâmetros foram a proporção da variância devido aos QTL, o número e o tamanho das famílias. As estimativas mais viesadas dos componentes do QTL e poligênico foram obtidas ao serem analisados os registros de somente dez famílias e de famílias contendo somente cinco indivíduos. Com número suficiente de famílias e de indivíduos nas famílias e altas proporções de variância genética, o modelo aleatório pode detectar QTL com alto poder, apresentando estimativas das posições com boa acurácia. Entretanto, métodos mais sofisticados devem ser utilizados para o mapeamento fino e estimativas apropriadas da variância do QTL.
Abstract Text: The objectives were identify the best model to describe the growth curve in Brahma... more Abstract Text: The objectives were identify the best model to describe the growth curve in Brahman cattle and characterize single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) associated with growth curve parameters estimates. Body weights were measured at birth, sixth, twelfth, fifteenth, eighteenth and twenty-fourth months of age. Four nonlinear models were tested and evaluated for goodness of fit. Brody’s model was the most appropriate to describe the growth of Brahman cattle. The genome wide association studies were performed for three growth curve parameters (A, b and K). There were 136 SNPs significantly associated with A spread over all chromosomes. There were found significant SNPs in chromosomes thirteen and twenty five, which has no reports in QTLDatabase. These SNPs can be useful in posterior marker assisted selection and pathway analysis to describe the complexity of growth process in beef cattle. Keywords: Beef cattle; Nonlinear function; Mature;
Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia
This study was undertaken to establish the best way of considering the fixed effects in random re... more This study was undertaken to establish the best way of considering the fixed effects in random regression models for genetic evaluations. The use of polynomial functions to describe growth curves and age-of-dam effects was evaluated by analyzing body weight of 41,415 young Tabapuã beef cattle, born from 1975 to 1997 and raised under pasture conditions. Age-of-dam and sex effects showed significant influence on body weights of animals younger than 2-year-old. Age-of-dam effect on weights of offspring showed to be dependent on age of animals. High goodness of fit (R2>0.98) were reached using age of dam at weighing day (i.e., sum of age of dam at birth plus age of animal at weighing day) with at least second degree polynomials and growth curves fitted to each sex separately with at least third degree polynomials.
Restricted maximum likelihood (REML) estimates of additive and residual variances and covariances... more Restricted maximum likelihood (REML) estimates of additive and residual variances and covariances for birth weight and adjusted weights at 120, 205, 240, 365, 420 e 550 days of age were used to estimate growth covariance functions (CFs) of Tabapuã beef calves. Data were observed on 41,415 animals born from 1975 to 1997 and raised under pasture conditions. Estimation of CFs is a very useful tool to analyze beef cattle growth. It was possible to estimate covariance between any pair of ages and the analyses of eigenfunctions associated with the eigenvalues of coefficients matrix of CFs showed that the growth curves of Tabapuã calves could be easily changed by selection. Weaning stress, compensatory growth and selection of animals in the final period caused changes on (co)variance trajectories. Therefore only CFs of more complex order were able to estimate values near to REML estimates. However, high order Legendre polynomials drew sharp waves on variances trajectories at the period edg...
Pears of the variety S. Bartolomeu ( Pyrus communis L.) have been used over the years in Portugal... more Pears of the variety S. Bartolomeu ( Pyrus communis L.) have been used over the years in Portugal to produce a traditional dried pear known as "pera passa". The processing comprehends a solar drying performed at open air, with obvious disadvantages, either concerning the drying efficiency or the sanitary quality of the final product, taking into account that the products
Random regression models were used to estimate the types and orders of random effects of (co)vari... more Random regression models were used to estimate the types and orders of random effects of (co)variance functions in the description of the growth trajectory of the Simbrasil cattle breed. Records for 7049 animals totaling 18,677 individual weighings were submitted to 15 models from the third to the fifth order including as fixed effects sex, contemporary group, feeding regimen, and type of reproduction and as random effects additive direct genetic effect, animal permanent environment, maternal additive genetic effect, and maternal permanent environment. The best-fit model presented order five to additive direct genetic effect, animal permanent environment, and maternal additive effect, with 6 classes of residual variances, and the maternal permanent environment effect was not significant, likely owing to the low average number of calves per cow. However, the model chosen for the growth curve presents three classes of residual variances, because even not showing the best fit it is mor...
Weight records of Simmental beef cattle were used in a genetic evaluation of growth with and with... more Weight records of Simmental beef cattle were used in a genetic evaluation of growth with and without embryo transfer (ET). A random regression model in which ET individuals were excluded (RRM1) contained 29,510 records from 10,659 animals, while another model that did not exclude these animals (RRM2) contained 62,895 records from 23,160 animals. The fixed and random regressions were represented by continuous functions, and a model with an order of three for the fixed curve and random effects was used to consider the homogeneity of residual variance. In general, the (co)variance components were similar in both models, except the maternal permanent environment and residual components. The direct heritability in RRM1 and RRM2 showed the same behavior with oscillations along the growth curve and were slightly higher in RRM1. Generally, the estimated correlations were the same and smaller as the ages distanced themselves. The inclusion of animals from ET in genetic evaluations can be don...
The Brazilian Association of Simmental and Simbrasil Cattle Farmers provided 29,510 records from ... more The Brazilian Association of Simmental and Simbrasil Cattle Farmers provided 29,510 records from 10,659 Simmental beef cattle; these were used to estimate (co)variance components and genetic parameters for weights in the growth trajectory, based on multi-trait (MTM) and random regression models (RRM). The (co)variance components and genetic parameters were estimated by restricted maximum likelihood. In the MTM analysis, the likelihood ratio test was used to determine the significance of random effects included in the model and to define the most appropriate model. All random effects were significant and included in the final model. In the RRM analysis, different adjustments of polynomial orders were compared for 5 different criteria to choose the best fit model. An RRM of third order for the direct additive genetic, direct permanent environmental, maternal additive genetic, and maternal permanent environment effects was sufficient to model variance structures in the growth trajector...
The weight records from Simmental beef cattle were used in a genetic evaluation of growth with or... more The weight records from Simmental beef cattle were used in a genetic evaluation of growth with or without the inclusion of animals obtained by embryo transfer. A multi-trait model in which embryo transfer individuals were excluded (MTM1) contained 29,510 records from 10,659 animals, while another model without exclusion of these animals (MTM2) contained 62,895 weight records from 23,160 animals. The weight records were adjusted for ages of 100, 205, 365, 450, 550 and 730 days. The (co)variance components and genetic parameters were estimated by the restricted maximum likelihood method. The (co)variance components were similar in both models, except for maternal permanent environment variance. Direct heritabilities (h(2) d) in MTM1 were 0.04, 0.11, 0.20, 0.27, 0.31 and 0.42, while in MTM2 they were 0.11, 0.11, 0.17, 0.21, 0.22 and 0.26 for 100, 205, 365, 450, 550 and 730 days of age, respectively. Estimates of h(2) d in MTM1 were higher than in MTM2 for the weight at 365 days of age....
The components of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system appear to be involved in regulation... more The components of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system appear to be involved in regulation of ovarian follicular growth and atresia in the pig. We investigated the expression pattern of mRNAs for IGF1 (IGF1), its binding proteins (IGFBP1, IGFBP2, IGFBP3, and IGFBP5), and epidermal growth factor in swine follicle cells and ovarian tissue throughout the estrous cycle using the real-time quantitative PCR technique. The results of gene expression were analyzed using linear regression with gene expression as a dependent variable and days of estrous cycle as an independent variable. Additionally, an analysis was made of the correlation of expression levels with plasma concentration of follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, estradiol-17β, progesterone, and prolactin. Expression of mRNA of all of these genes was detected in granulosa cells and ovarian tissue. IGFBP3 mRNA showed a quadratic expression pattern (P ≤ 0.001) and was significantly and positively correlated with...
Proceedings of the 2003 SBMO/IEEE MTT-S International Microwave and Optoelectronics Conference - IMOC 2003. (Cat. No.03TH8678), 2003
We describe a WEB controlled interrogation system to determine the peak wavelength of the reflect... more We describe a WEB controlled interrogation system to determine the peak wavelength of the reflection spectra of Bragg gratings. The system is based on a scanning Fabry Perot interferometer, whose electronic control unit has been modified to allow automated operation under external micro-controlled supervision. A micro-controller with embedded WEB server capabilities is used to permit the access through the Internet.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different cryo-protectants (glycerol, d... more The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different cryo-protectants (glycerol, dimethylacetamide and dimethylformamide alone or combined and added to lactose-egg yolk extender) on the viability of frozen/thawed semen from the Piau breed as assessed by in vitro testing. Frozen semen samples (n=20) were used from five male swine. Five different freezing extenders, including 2% glycerol (Group 1 - G), 2% glycerol and 3% dimethylacetamide (Group 2 - GA), 2% glycerol and 3% dimethylformamide (Group 3 - GF), 5% dimethylacetamide (Group 4 - A) and 5% dimethylformamide (group 5 - F), were evaluated. To assess post-thawing sperm quality, sperm motility and morphology were evaluated. Sperm viability was determined using the hypoosmotic swelling test, supravital staining, and a fluorescent assay (carboxyfluorescein diacetate and propidium iodide). The mean total sperm motility of semen immediately after thawing was 46.2±1.3, 57.7±1.5, 53.2±2.1, 51.7±1.2, and 46.5±1.6% for grou...
Sperm motility is one of the most widely used parameters in order to evaluate boar semen quality.... more Sperm motility is one of the most widely used parameters in order to evaluate boar semen quality. However, this trait can only be measured after puberty. Thus, the use of genomic information appears as an appealing alternative to evaluate and improve selection for boar fertility traits earlier in life. With this study we aimed to identify SNPs with significant association with sperm motility in two different commercial pig populations and to identify possible candidate genes within the identified QTL regions. We performed a single-SNP genome-wide association study using genotyped animals from a Landrace-based (L1) and a Large White-based (L2) pig populations. For L1, a total of 602 animals genotyped for 42,551 SNPs were used in the association analysis. For L2, a total of 525 animals genotyped for 40,890 SNPs were available. After the association analysis, a false discovery rate q-value ≤0.05 was used as the threshold for significant association. No SNPs were significantly associate...
This paper presents an experimental methodology to determine plated and intact femur strains usin... more This paper presents an experimental methodology to determine plated and intact femur strains using fiber Bragg gratings and strain gauges. A plated and an intact synthetic femur were used and loaded under a simplistic static load of 600 N. A stainless steel (316L) plate was used to fixate a simulated 45° fracture on one femur. Strains were recoded at the same sites on both femurs. Strain shielding is shown to be more pronounced at the distal region of the plated femur. The experimental methodology based on fiber Bragg grating sensors is a novel approach to assess bone plate strains, which could also be used to obtain biologic tissue and implant surface strains in locations where conventional strain gauge use is not technically feasible.
Random regression models were used to estimate genetic parameters for test-day milk yield (PLDC) ... more Random regression models were used to estimate genetic parameters for test-day milk yield (PLDC) of Alpine dairy goats, implemented by Bayesian methods with Gibbs Sampling. The estimates were compared with those obtained by random regression analysis, using REML. Heritability estimates obtained by Bayesian analysis ranged from 0.18 to 0.37, while those obtained by REML ranged from 0.09 to 0.32. Genetic correlations between yields of close test days approached the unit, but decreased gradually as the interval between test days increased. Results indicated that random regression models are appropriate to model the covariance structure of PLDC and to predict genetic gains and select animals along the lactation trajectory of dairy goats. Results obtained by Bayesian and REML approaches were similar, although genetic variance and heritability estimates were slightly higher with Bayesian methods.
Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia
The myogenin gene, a member of the MyoD gene family, is a regulator of the myogenesis that takes ... more The myogenin gene, a member of the MyoD gene family, is a regulator of the myogenesis that takes place during the embryonic development. The objective of this study was to perform a phylogenic analysis of the myogenin gene to study its evolutionary history in the domestic species that have the sequencing data deposited in the Genbank. One common method to detect a gene evolution is made by comparing the ratio of nonsynonymous nucleotide substitution by the ratio of synonymous substitutions. Values greater than one (1) means that the gene has gone through changes that made the organism more adapted to the environment. The phylogenetic trees were obtained by maximum likelihood and the synonymous and nonsynonymous substitution rates were analyzed by the parsimony method. The results point out that probably the gene suffered an adaptive evolution in the Ruminantia group, Bos Taurus and Ovis aries, after these species diverged from their common ancestral. In the other species, the gene s...
Um estudo de simulação foi realizado para verificar a eficiência e o poder dos modelos aleatórios... more Um estudo de simulação foi realizado para verificar a eficiência e o poder dos modelos aleatórios na estimação da localização e dos componentes de variância relativos a dois QTL presentes no mesmo cromossomo, posicionados no mesmo intervalo, em intervalos adjacentes e não-adjacentes, com diferentes tamanhos e números de famílias de irmãos completos e variâncias dos QTL, em característica com herdabilidade igual a 0,25. A estimação dos parâmetros foi obtida por meio do método da máxima verossimilhança, baseado no quadrado da diferença de pares de irmãos, sob mapeamento por intervalo. A proporção de genes idênticos por descendência (IBD) do QTL foi estimada a partir da proporção IBD de dois marcadores flanqueadores. Os fatores que mais influenciaram as estimativas dos parâmetros foram a proporção da variância devido aos QTL, o número e o tamanho das famílias. As estimativas mais viesadas dos componentes do QTL e poligênico foram obtidas ao serem analisados os registros de somente dez famílias e de famílias contendo somente cinco indivíduos. Com número suficiente de famílias e de indivíduos nas famílias e altas proporções de variância genética, o modelo aleatório pode detectar QTL com alto poder, apresentando estimativas das posições com boa acurácia. Entretanto, métodos mais sofisticados devem ser utilizados para o mapeamento fino e estimativas apropriadas da variância do QTL.
Abstract Text: The objectives were identify the best model to describe the growth curve in Brahma... more Abstract Text: The objectives were identify the best model to describe the growth curve in Brahman cattle and characterize single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) associated with growth curve parameters estimates. Body weights were measured at birth, sixth, twelfth, fifteenth, eighteenth and twenty-fourth months of age. Four nonlinear models were tested and evaluated for goodness of fit. Brody’s model was the most appropriate to describe the growth of Brahman cattle. The genome wide association studies were performed for three growth curve parameters (A, b and K). There were 136 SNPs significantly associated with A spread over all chromosomes. There were found significant SNPs in chromosomes thirteen and twenty five, which has no reports in QTLDatabase. These SNPs can be useful in posterior marker assisted selection and pathway analysis to describe the complexity of growth process in beef cattle. Keywords: Beef cattle; Nonlinear function; Mature;
Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia
This study was undertaken to establish the best way of considering the fixed effects in random re... more This study was undertaken to establish the best way of considering the fixed effects in random regression models for genetic evaluations. The use of polynomial functions to describe growth curves and age-of-dam effects was evaluated by analyzing body weight of 41,415 young Tabapuã beef cattle, born from 1975 to 1997 and raised under pasture conditions. Age-of-dam and sex effects showed significant influence on body weights of animals younger than 2-year-old. Age-of-dam effect on weights of offspring showed to be dependent on age of animals. High goodness of fit (R2>0.98) were reached using age of dam at weighing day (i.e., sum of age of dam at birth plus age of animal at weighing day) with at least second degree polynomials and growth curves fitted to each sex separately with at least third degree polynomials.
Restricted maximum likelihood (REML) estimates of additive and residual variances and covariances... more Restricted maximum likelihood (REML) estimates of additive and residual variances and covariances for birth weight and adjusted weights at 120, 205, 240, 365, 420 e 550 days of age were used to estimate growth covariance functions (CFs) of Tabapuã beef calves. Data were observed on 41,415 animals born from 1975 to 1997 and raised under pasture conditions. Estimation of CFs is a very useful tool to analyze beef cattle growth. It was possible to estimate covariance between any pair of ages and the analyses of eigenfunctions associated with the eigenvalues of coefficients matrix of CFs showed that the growth curves of Tabapuã calves could be easily changed by selection. Weaning stress, compensatory growth and selection of animals in the final period caused changes on (co)variance trajectories. Therefore only CFs of more complex order were able to estimate values near to REML estimates. However, high order Legendre polynomials drew sharp waves on variances trajectories at the period edg...
Pears of the variety S. Bartolomeu ( Pyrus communis L.) have been used over the years in Portugal... more Pears of the variety S. Bartolomeu ( Pyrus communis L.) have been used over the years in Portugal to produce a traditional dried pear known as "pera passa". The processing comprehends a solar drying performed at open air, with obvious disadvantages, either concerning the drying efficiency or the sanitary quality of the final product, taking into account that the products
Random regression models were used to estimate the types and orders of random effects of (co)vari... more Random regression models were used to estimate the types and orders of random effects of (co)variance functions in the description of the growth trajectory of the Simbrasil cattle breed. Records for 7049 animals totaling 18,677 individual weighings were submitted to 15 models from the third to the fifth order including as fixed effects sex, contemporary group, feeding regimen, and type of reproduction and as random effects additive direct genetic effect, animal permanent environment, maternal additive genetic effect, and maternal permanent environment. The best-fit model presented order five to additive direct genetic effect, animal permanent environment, and maternal additive effect, with 6 classes of residual variances, and the maternal permanent environment effect was not significant, likely owing to the low average number of calves per cow. However, the model chosen for the growth curve presents three classes of residual variances, because even not showing the best fit it is mor...
Weight records of Simmental beef cattle were used in a genetic evaluation of growth with and with... more Weight records of Simmental beef cattle were used in a genetic evaluation of growth with and without embryo transfer (ET). A random regression model in which ET individuals were excluded (RRM1) contained 29,510 records from 10,659 animals, while another model that did not exclude these animals (RRM2) contained 62,895 records from 23,160 animals. The fixed and random regressions were represented by continuous functions, and a model with an order of three for the fixed curve and random effects was used to consider the homogeneity of residual variance. In general, the (co)variance components were similar in both models, except the maternal permanent environment and residual components. The direct heritability in RRM1 and RRM2 showed the same behavior with oscillations along the growth curve and were slightly higher in RRM1. Generally, the estimated correlations were the same and smaller as the ages distanced themselves. The inclusion of animals from ET in genetic evaluations can be don...
The Brazilian Association of Simmental and Simbrasil Cattle Farmers provided 29,510 records from ... more The Brazilian Association of Simmental and Simbrasil Cattle Farmers provided 29,510 records from 10,659 Simmental beef cattle; these were used to estimate (co)variance components and genetic parameters for weights in the growth trajectory, based on multi-trait (MTM) and random regression models (RRM). The (co)variance components and genetic parameters were estimated by restricted maximum likelihood. In the MTM analysis, the likelihood ratio test was used to determine the significance of random effects included in the model and to define the most appropriate model. All random effects were significant and included in the final model. In the RRM analysis, different adjustments of polynomial orders were compared for 5 different criteria to choose the best fit model. An RRM of third order for the direct additive genetic, direct permanent environmental, maternal additive genetic, and maternal permanent environment effects was sufficient to model variance structures in the growth trajector...
The weight records from Simmental beef cattle were used in a genetic evaluation of growth with or... more The weight records from Simmental beef cattle were used in a genetic evaluation of growth with or without the inclusion of animals obtained by embryo transfer. A multi-trait model in which embryo transfer individuals were excluded (MTM1) contained 29,510 records from 10,659 animals, while another model without exclusion of these animals (MTM2) contained 62,895 weight records from 23,160 animals. The weight records were adjusted for ages of 100, 205, 365, 450, 550 and 730 days. The (co)variance components and genetic parameters were estimated by the restricted maximum likelihood method. The (co)variance components were similar in both models, except for maternal permanent environment variance. Direct heritabilities (h(2) d) in MTM1 were 0.04, 0.11, 0.20, 0.27, 0.31 and 0.42, while in MTM2 they were 0.11, 0.11, 0.17, 0.21, 0.22 and 0.26 for 100, 205, 365, 450, 550 and 730 days of age, respectively. Estimates of h(2) d in MTM1 were higher than in MTM2 for the weight at 365 days of age....
The components of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system appear to be involved in regulation... more The components of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system appear to be involved in regulation of ovarian follicular growth and atresia in the pig. We investigated the expression pattern of mRNAs for IGF1 (IGF1), its binding proteins (IGFBP1, IGFBP2, IGFBP3, and IGFBP5), and epidermal growth factor in swine follicle cells and ovarian tissue throughout the estrous cycle using the real-time quantitative PCR technique. The results of gene expression were analyzed using linear regression with gene expression as a dependent variable and days of estrous cycle as an independent variable. Additionally, an analysis was made of the correlation of expression levels with plasma concentration of follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, estradiol-17β, progesterone, and prolactin. Expression of mRNA of all of these genes was detected in granulosa cells and ovarian tissue. IGFBP3 mRNA showed a quadratic expression pattern (P ≤ 0.001) and was significantly and positively correlated with...
Proceedings of the 2003 SBMO/IEEE MTT-S International Microwave and Optoelectronics Conference - IMOC 2003. (Cat. No.03TH8678), 2003
We describe a WEB controlled interrogation system to determine the peak wavelength of the reflect... more We describe a WEB controlled interrogation system to determine the peak wavelength of the reflection spectra of Bragg gratings. The system is based on a scanning Fabry Perot interferometer, whose electronic control unit has been modified to allow automated operation under external micro-controlled supervision. A micro-controller with embedded WEB server capabilities is used to permit the access through the Internet.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different cryo-protectants (glycerol, d... more The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different cryo-protectants (glycerol, dimethylacetamide and dimethylformamide alone or combined and added to lactose-egg yolk extender) on the viability of frozen/thawed semen from the Piau breed as assessed by in vitro testing. Frozen semen samples (n=20) were used from five male swine. Five different freezing extenders, including 2% glycerol (Group 1 - G), 2% glycerol and 3% dimethylacetamide (Group 2 - GA), 2% glycerol and 3% dimethylformamide (Group 3 - GF), 5% dimethylacetamide (Group 4 - A) and 5% dimethylformamide (group 5 - F), were evaluated. To assess post-thawing sperm quality, sperm motility and morphology were evaluated. Sperm viability was determined using the hypoosmotic swelling test, supravital staining, and a fluorescent assay (carboxyfluorescein diacetate and propidium iodide). The mean total sperm motility of semen immediately after thawing was 46.2±1.3, 57.7±1.5, 53.2±2.1, 51.7±1.2, and 46.5±1.6% for grou...
Sperm motility is one of the most widely used parameters in order to evaluate boar semen quality.... more Sperm motility is one of the most widely used parameters in order to evaluate boar semen quality. However, this trait can only be measured after puberty. Thus, the use of genomic information appears as an appealing alternative to evaluate and improve selection for boar fertility traits earlier in life. With this study we aimed to identify SNPs with significant association with sperm motility in two different commercial pig populations and to identify possible candidate genes within the identified QTL regions. We performed a single-SNP genome-wide association study using genotyped animals from a Landrace-based (L1) and a Large White-based (L2) pig populations. For L1, a total of 602 animals genotyped for 42,551 SNPs were used in the association analysis. For L2, a total of 525 animals genotyped for 40,890 SNPs were available. After the association analysis, a false discovery rate q-value ≤0.05 was used as the threshold for significant association. No SNPs were significantly associate...
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Papers by Paulo Lopes