Selection for social genetic effects in purebred pigs improves behaviour and handling of their crossbred progeny.

Background: In commercial pig production, reduction of harmful social behavioural traits, such as ear manipulation and tail biting, is of major interest. Moreover, farmers prefer animals that are easy to handle. The aim of this experiment was to determine whether selection on social breeding values (SBV) for growth rate in purebred pigs affects behaviour in a weighing crate, lesions from ear manipulation, and tail biting of their crossbred progeny.

The impact of genotyping strategies and statistical models on accuracy of genomic prediction for survival in pigs.

Background: Survival from birth to slaughter is an important economic trait in commercial pig productions. Increasing survival can improve both economic efficiency and animal welfare. The aim of this study is to explore the impact of genotyping strategies and statistical models on the accuracy of genomic prediction for survival in pigs during the total growing period from birth to slaughter.

Predictive performances of animal models using different multibreed relationship matrices in systems with rotational crossbreeding.

Background: In livestock breeding, selection for some traits can be improved with direct selection for crossbred performance. However, genetic analyses with phenotypes from crossbred animals require methods for multibreed relationship matrices; especially when some animals are rotationally crossbred. Multiple methods for multibreed relationship matrices exist, but there is a lack of knowledge on how these methods compare for prediction of breeding values with phenotypes from rotationally crossbred animals.

Into the fire: Investigating the introduction of cremation to Nordic Bronze Age Denmark: A comparative study between different regions applying strontium isotope analyses and archaeological methods.

Changes in funerary practices are key to the understanding of social transformations of past societies. Over the course of the Nordic Bronze Age, funerary practices changed from inhumation to cremation. The aim of this study is to shed light on this fundamental change through a cross-examination of archaeometric provenance data and archaeological discussions of the context and layouts of early cremation graves.

Genetic parameters and genomic prediction for feed intake recorded at the group and individual level in different production systems for growing pigs.

Background: In breeding programs, recording large-scale feed intake (FI) data routinely at the individual level is costly and difficult compared with other production traits. An alternative approach could be to record FI at the group level since animals such as pigs are normally housed in groups and fed by a shared feeder. However, to date there have been few investigations about the difference between group- and individual-level FI recorded in different environments.

Selection for social genetic effects in purebreds increases growth in crossbreds.

Background: Average daily gain (ADG) in pigs is affected by both direct and social genetic effects (SGE). However, selection for SGE in purebreds has not conclusively been shown to improve ADG in crossbreds, and it is unknown whether SGE in purebreds are equal to those in crossbreds. Moreover, SGE may reflect dominance related behaviour, which is affected by the variation in body weight within a group.

Genomic diversity revealed by whole-genome sequencing in three Danish commercial pig breeds.

Whole-genome sequencing of 217 animals from three Danish commercial pig breeds (Duroc, Landrace [LL], and Yorkshire [YY]) was performed. Twenty-six million single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 8 million insertions or deletions (indels) were uncovered. Among the SNPs, 493,099 variants were located in coding sequences, and 29,430 were predicted to have a high functional impact such as gain or loss of stop codon.

Prediction of breeding values for group-recorded traits including genomic information and an individually recorded correlated trait.

Records on groups of individuals could be valuable for predicting breeding values when a trait is difficult or costly to measure on single individuals, such as feed intake and egg production. Adding genomic information has shown improvement in the accuracy of genetic evaluation of quantitative traits with individual records. Here, we investigated the value of genomic information for traits with group records.

Genetic associations between stayability and longevity in commercial crossbred sows, and stayability in multiplier sows.

Longevity in commercial sows is often selected for through stayability traits measured in purebred animals. However, this may not be justifiable because longevity and stayability may be subject to both genotype by environment interaction (G × E) and genotype by genotype interaction (G × G). This study tested the hypothesis that stayability to service after first parity is more strongly genetically correlated with longevity in commercial herds when stayability is measured in commercial herds rather than multiplier herds.

Correction to: A bivariate genomic model with additive, dominance and inbreeding depression effects for sire line and three-way crossbred pigs.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

A bivariate genomic model with additive, dominance and inbreeding depression effects for sire line and three-way crossbred pigs.

Background: Crossbreeding is widely used in pig production because of the benefits of heterosis effects and breed complementarity. Commonly, sire lines are bred for traits such as feed efficiency, growth and meat content, whereas maternal lines are also bred for reproduction and longevity traits, and the resulting three-way crossbred pigs are used for production of meat. The most important genetic basis for heterosis is dominance effects, e.

Use of Repeated Group Measurements with Drop Out Animals for Variance Component Estimation and Genetic Evaluation: A Simulation Study.

The efficiency of feed utilization plays an important role in animal breeding. However, measuring feed intake (FI) is costly on an individual basis under practical conditions. Using group measurements to model FI could be practically feasible and cost-effective.

Duroc boars have lower progeny mortality and lower fertility than Pietrain boars.

In pig production, Pietrain and Duroc lines are often used as terminal sire lines to produce crossbred slaughter pigs. The objective of this study was to identify the differences in paternal fertility and mortality during the suckling period of crossbred progeny from Pietrain and Duroc terminal sire lines. In total, 87 purebred Duroc boars and 68 purebred Pietrain boars were used as terminal sires to produce 1,823 crossbred Duroc litters (D-litters) and 1,705 crossbred Pietrain litters (P-litters) in two production herds.

A novel alignment procedure to assess calcified coronary plaques in histopathology, post-mortem computed tomography angiography and optical coherence tomography.

Purpose: Improve mapping and registration of longitudinal view on histopathology vessels in a three-dimensional alignment procedure for postmortem quantitative coronary plaque analyses. This new procedure is applied and results shown using calcified coronary plaque analyses within post-mortem computed tomography angiography (PMCTA), optical coherence tomography (OCT) and the gold standard of histopathology.

Results: In total, 338 annotated histopathology images were included, 166 PMCTA transversal images and 285 OCT images were aligned in the comparison.

Macro-environmental sensitivity for growth rate in Danish Duroc pigs is under genetic control.

The aim of this study was to examine (i) the genetic variation in macro-environmental sensitivity (macro-ES) for ADG in Danish Duroc pigs, (ii) the genetic heterogeneity among sexes, and (iii) residual variance heterogeneity among herds. Record of ADG for 32,297 boars (19 herds) and 42,724 gilts (16 herds) was used for analysis. The data were provided by the National Danish Pig Research Centre.

Estimation of variance components and prediction of breeding values based on group records from varying group sizes.

Background: Records on groups of individuals rather than on single individuals could be valuable for predicting breeding values (BV) of the traits that are difficult or costly to measure individually, such as feed intake in pigs or beef cattle. Here, we present a model, which handles group records from varying group sizes and involves multiple fixed and random effects, for estimating variance components and predicting BV. Moreover, using simulation, we investigated the efficiency of group records for predicting BV in situations with various group sizes and structures, and factors that affect the trait.

Thiosemicarbazone organocatalysis: tetrahydropyranylation and 2-deoxygalactosylation reactions and kinetics-based mechanistic investigation.

The first use of thiosemicarbazone-based organocatalysis was demonstrated on both tetrahydropyranylation and 2-deoxygalactosylation reactions. The organocatalysts were optimised using kinetics-based selection. The best catalyst outperformed previously reported thiourea catalysts for tetrahydropyranylation by 50-fold.

Croconamides: a new dual hydrogen bond donating motif for anion recognition and organocatalysis.

We introduce bis-aryl croconamides as a new member in the family of dual hydrogen bonding anion receptors. In this study a series of croconamides are synthesised, and the selectivity for anion binding is investigated (Cl > Br > I in CHCl). The croconamides exhibit different structures in the crystal phase depending on the substituents on the aromatic rings, and furthermore, the crystal structure revealed the presence of tautomers.

Genome-wide association study for conformation traits in three Danish pig breeds.

Background: Selection for sound conformation has been widely used as a primary approach to reduce lameness and leg weakness in pigs. Identification of genomic regions that affect conformation traits would help to improve selection accuracy for these lowly to moderately heritable traits. Our objective was to identify genetic factors that underlie leg and back conformation traits in three Danish pig breeds by performing a genome-wide association study followed by meta-analyses.

Design of Single-Molecule Magnets: Insufficiency of the Anisotropy Barrier as the Sole Criterion.

Determination of the electronic energy spectrum of a trigonal-symmetry mononuclear Yb(3+) single-molecule magnet (SMM) by high-resolution absorption and luminescence spectroscopies reveals that the first excited electronic doublet is placed nearly 500 cm(-1) above the ground one. Fitting of the paramagnetic relaxation times of this SMM to a thermally activated (Orbach) model {τ = τ0 × exp[ΔOrbach/(kBT)]} affords an activation barrier, ΔOrbach, of only 38 cm(-1). This result is incompatible with the spectroscopic observations.

Synthesis and properties of unsymmetrical azatrioxa[8]circulenes.

Insights to the subtle reactivity patterns of hydroxy-substituted carbazoles allows the precise synthesis of unsymmetrical azatrioxa[8]circulenes by the reaction of N-benzyl-2,7-di-tert-butyl-3,6-dihydroxycarbazole with two different 1,4-benzoquinones in the presence of an oxidant (chloranil) and a Lewis acid (BF3OEt2). The unique synthetic control obtained originates from the selectivity obtained upon reacting N-benzyl-2,7-di-tert-butyl-3,6-dihydroxycarbazole with an electron-rich benzoquinone to give first the C-C bond formation and then subsequently the dibenzofuran formation with high regioselectivity. Herein the first synthesis of unsymmetrical antiaromatic azatrioxa[8]circulenes and the full characterization using NMR spectroscopy, optical spectroscopy, electrochemistry, computational techniques and single crystal X-ray crystallography is reported.

Anion binding by biotin[6]uril in water.

In this contribution we show that the newly discovered 6 + 6 biotin-formaldehyde macrocycle Biotin[6]uril binds a variety of anionic guest molecules in water. We discuss how and why the anions are bound based on data obtained using NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), computational calculations and single crystal X-ray crystallography.

Genomic evaluation of both purebred and crossbred performances.

Background: For a two-breed crossbreeding system, Wei and van der Werf presented a model for genetic evaluation using information from both purebred and crossbred animals. The model provides breeding values for both purebred and crossbred performances. Genomic evaluation incorporates marker genotypes into a genetic evaluation system.

Study of the complexation of oxacillin in 1-(4-carbomethoxypyrrolidone)-terminated PAMAM dendrimers.

The complexation of oxacillin to three generations of 1-(4-carbomethoxypyrrolidone)-terminated PAMAM dendrimers was studied with NMR in CD3OD and CDCl3. The stochiometries, which were determined from Job plots, were found to be both solvent- and generation-dependent. The dissociation constants (K(d)) and Gibbs energies for complexation of oxacillin into the 1-(4-carbomethoxypyrrolidone)-terminated PAMAM dendrimer hosts were determined by (1)H NMR titrations and showed weaker binding of oxacillin upon increasing the size (generation) of the dendrimer.