Maternal effects and its importance in the genetic evaluations of preweaning live weight traits of beef cattle. A review.

Maternal effects in cattle genetics are defined as the causal influence of the phenotype or maternal genotype on the offspring's phenotype by effects occurring when the genetic and environmental characteristics of the mother influence the phenotype of the offspring beyond the direct inheritance of genes. Its relevance has been strongly described in genetic models focused on the genetic improvement of preweaning traits in cow-calf beef cattle production systems. Here, basic concepts and the importance of maternal effects when using linear and animal model procedures for genetic evaluations of growth and live-weight traits in beef cattle are reviewed and discussed.

Noncoding Variants as Genetic Contributors to Autoimmune Disease Pathogenesis.

Understanding the functions of disease-associated noncoding variants is essential for understanding the molecular mechanisms driving diseases with a genetic cause and for identifying therapeutic targets. Combined computational and experimental analyses have demonstrated that IRF5 is hyperactivated by a pathogenic allele of TNPO3 through long-distance chromatin looping. This finding identifies a molecular mechanism contributing to the polygenic autoimmune diseases of systemic lupus erythematosus and systemic sclerosis.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of farmers' rice straw management practices considering CH4 and N2O emissions.

This study assessed the environmental consequences of burning and other rice straw management practices in terms of non-CO2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and evaluated the cost-effectiveness of selected rice straw management alternatives. On a per-hectare basis and considering a time horizon of five years, incorporating stubble more than 30 days before crop establishment, and incorporating composted rice straw in the field yielded the lowest cumulative CH4 and N2O emissions. Considering the associated costs and secondary benefits, the most cost-effective option for farmers is to incorporate stubble and straw in the soil more than 30 days before crop establishment.

Adsorption of Toxic Metals and Control of Mosquitos-borne Disease by Lysinibacillus sphaericus: Dual Benefits for Health and Environment.

Objective: Assessment of the bacterium L. sphaericus as a dual-action candidate for biological control of mosquito-borne diseases and bioremediation of toxic metals.

Methods: Larvae of the mosquito, C.

What factors influence choice of waste management practice? Evidence from rice straw management in the Philippines.

This study applied a multinomial logit model to understand why farmers choose to burn, incorporate or remove rice straw in the field. Four hundred randomly selected farmers were interviewed in four major rice-producing provinces covering the 2009 wet and 2010 dry seasons. Results of the model with burning as the baseline category indicate farm type, location dummies, number of household members with older than 13 years, cow ownership and distance from farm to house as significant variables influencing farmers' choice of straw incorporation or removal over burning.