Selection for Duration of Fertility and Mule Duck White Plumage Colour in a Synthetic Strain of Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos)

H.C. Liu,J.F. Huang,S.R. Lee,H.L. Liu,C.H. Hsieh,C.W. Huang,M.C. Huang,C. Tai,J.P. Poivey,R. Rouvier,Y.S. Cheng 아세아·태평양축산학회 2015 Animal Bioscience Vol.28 No.5

A synthetic strain of ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) was developed by introducing genes for long duration of fertility to be used as mother of mule ducklings and a seven-generation selection experiment was conducted to increase the number of fertile eggs after a single artificial insemination (AI) with pooled Muscovy semen. Reciprocal crossbreeding between Brown Tsaiya LRI-2 (with long duration of fertility) and Pekin L-201 (with white plumage mule ducklings) ducks produced the G0. Then G1 were intercrossed to produce G2 and so on for the following generations. Each female duck was inseminated 3 times, at 26, 29, and 32 weeks of age. The eggs were collected for 14 days from day 2 after AI. Individual data regarding the number of incubated eggs (Ie), the number of fertile eggs at candling at day 7 of incubation (F), the total number of dead embryos (M), the maximum duration of fertility (Dm) and the number of hatched mule ducklings (H) with plumage colour were recorded. The selection criterion was the breeding values of the best linear unbiased prediction animal model for F. The results show high percentage of exhibited heterosis in G2 for traits to improve (19.1% for F and 12.9% for H); F with a value of 5.92 (vs 3.74 in the Pekin L-201) was improved in the G2. Heritabilities were found to be low for Ie (h2 = 0.07±0.03) and M (h2 = 0.07±0.01), moderately low for Dm (h2 = 0.13±0.02), of medium values for H (h2 = 0.20±0.03) and F (h2 = 0.23±0.03). High and favourable genetic correlations existed between F and Dm (rg = 0.93), between F and H (rg = 0.97) and between Dm and H (rg = 0.90). The selection experiment showed a positive trend for phenotypic values of F (6.38 fertile eggs in G10 of synthetic strain vs 5.59 eggs in G4, and 3.74 eggs in Pekin L-201), with correlated response for increasing H (5.73 ducklings in G10 vs 4.86 in G4, and 3.09 ducklings in Pekin L-201) and maximum duration of the fertile period without increasing the embryo mortality rate. The average predicted genetic response for F was 40% of genetic standard deviation per generation of selection. The mule ducklings’ feather colour also was improved. It was concluded that this study provided results for a better understanding of the genetics of the duration of fertility traits in the common female duck bred for mule and that the selection of a synthetic strain was effective method of improvement.

Activated T Cells Secrete an Alternatively Spliced Form of Common γ-Chain that Inhibits Cytokine Signaling and Exacerbates Inflammation

Hong, C.,Luckey, Megan A.,Ligons, Davinna L.,Waickman, Adam T.,Park, J.Y.,Kim, Grace Y.,Keller, Hilary R.,Etzensperger, R.,Tai, X.,Lazarevic, V.,Feigenbaum, L.,Catalfamo, M.,Walsh, Scott T.R.,Park, J. Cell Press 2014 Immunity Vol.40 No.6

The common γ-chain (γc) plays a central role in signaling by IL-2 and other γc-dependent cytokines. Here we report that activated T cells produce an alternatively spliced form of γc mRNA that results in protein expression and secretion of the γc extracellular domain. The soluble form of γc (sγc) is present in serum and directly binds to IL-2Rβ and IL-7Rα proteins on T cells to inhibit cytokine signaling and promote inflammation. sγc suppressed IL-7 signaling to impair naive T cell survival during homeostasis and exacerbated Th17-cell-mediated inflammation by inhibiting IL-2 signaling upon T cell activation. Reciprocally, the severity of Th17-cell-mediated inflammatory diseases was markedly diminished in mice lacking sγc. Thus, sγc expression is a naturally occurring immunomodulator that regulates γc cytokine signaling and controls T cell activation and differentiation.

Selection for Duration of Fertility and Mule Duck White Plumage Colour in a Synthetic Strain of Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos)

Liu, H.C.,Huang, J.F.,Lee, S.R.,Liu, H.L.,Hsieh, C.H.,Huang, C.W.,Huang, M.C.,Tai, C.,Poivey, J.P.,Rouvier, R.,Cheng, Y.S. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2015 Animal Bioscience Vol.28 No.5

A synthetic strain of ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) was developed by introducing genes for long duration of fertility to be used as mother of mule ducklings and a seven-generation selection experiment was conducted to increase the number of fertile eggs after a single artificial insemination (AI) with pooled Muscovy semen. Reciprocal crossbreeding between Brown Tsaiya LRI-2 (with long duration of fertility) and Pekin L-201 (with white plumage mule ducklings) ducks produced the G0. Then G1 were intercrossed to produce G2 and so on for the following generations. Each female duck was inseminated 3 times, at 26, 29, and 32 weeks of age. The eggs were collected for 14 days from day 2 after AI. Individual data regarding the number of incubated eggs (Ie), the number of fertile eggs at candling at day 7 of incubation (F), the total number of dead embryos (M), the maximum duration of fertility (Dm) and the number of hatched mule ducklings (H) with plumage colour were recorded. The selection criterion was the breeding values of the best linear unbiased prediction animal model for F. The results show high percentage of exhibited heterosis in G2 for traits to improve (19.1% for F and 12.9% for H); F with a value of 5.92 (vs 3.74 in the Pekin L-201) was improved in the G2. Heritabilities were found to be low for Ie ($h^2=0.07{\pm}0.03$) and M ($h^2=0.07{\pm}0.01$), moderately low for Dm ($h^2=0.13{\pm}0.02$), of medium values for H ($h^2=0.20{\pm}0.03$) and F ($h^2=0.23{\pm}0.03$). High and favourable genetic correlations existed between F and Dm ($r_g=0.93$), between F and H ($r_g=0.97$) and between Dm and H ($r_g=0.90$). The selection experiment showed a positive trend for phenotypic values of F (6.38 fertile eggs in G10 of synthetic strain vs 5.59 eggs in G4, and 3.74 eggs in Pekin L-201), with correlated response for increasing H (5.73 ducklings in G10 vs 4.86 in G4, and 3.09 ducklings in Pekin L-201) and maximum duration of the fertile period without increasing the embryo mortality rate. The average predicted genetic response for F was 40% of genetic standard deviation per generation of selection. The mule ducklings' feather colour also was improved. It was concluded that this study provided results for a better understanding of the genetics of the duration of fertility traits in the common female duck bred for mule and that the selection of a synthetic strain was effective method of improvement.

Adsorption studies of methylene blue onto ZnCl2-activated carbon produced from buriti shells (Mauritia flexuosa L.)

Osvaldo Pezoti Jr,Andre´ L. Cazetta,Isis P.A.F. Souza,Karen C. Bedin,Alessandro C. Martins,Tais L. Silva,Vitor C. Almeida 한국공업화학회 2014 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.20 No.6

The present study reports the preparation of an activated carbon produced from buriti shells (ACb) usingZnCl2 as activating agent and its ability to removemethylene blue dye (MB) from aqueous solutions. Theobtained ACb was characterized by N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms, SEM and FT-IR. The resultsshow that ACb presents microporous features with BET surface area (SBET) of 843 m2 g-1 and functionalgroups common in carbonaceous materials. Adsorption studies were carried out and experimental datawere fitted to three isotherm models (Langmuir, Freundlich, and Redlich–Peterson) and four kineticmodels (pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order, Elovich, and intraparticle diffusion). The isothermmodel which best fitted to experimental data was Redlich–Peterson. However, the g parameter of thismodel indicated that the adsorption of MB onto ACb occurs according to the mechanism proposed byLangmuir, which showed maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 274.62 mg g-1. Kinetic studiesdemonstrated that the Elovich model is suitable to describe the experimental data. Moreover, it wasfound that the intraparticle diffusion is the limiting step of adsorption process.

Oleanane-type saponins from Glochidion glomerulatum and their cytotoxic activities

Thu, V.K.,Van Thang, N.,Nhiem, N.X.,Tai, B.H.,Nam, N.H.,Kiem, P.V.,Minh, C.V.,Anh, H.L.T.,Kim, N.,Park, S.,Kim, S.H. Pergamon Press 2015 Phytochemistry Vol.116 No.-

Eight oleanane-type saponins, glomerulosides A-H, were isolated from leaves of Glochidion glomerulatum. All isolated compounds were evaluated for cytotoxic activity on four human cancer cell lines, A-549, HT-29, OVCAR, and MCF-7. Glomerulosides C and E, which contain a benzoyloxy group at C-22, showed significant cytotoxic activities against the A-549, HT-29, and OVCAR cancer cell lines with IC<SUB>50</SUB> values ranging from 5.9 to 9.8μM. Glomeruloside A showed cytotoxicity on HT-29 and OVCAR cell lines with IC<SUB>50</SUB> values of 7.3 and 6.6μM, respectively. Moreover, glomeruloside B exhibited significant activity on A-549 and HT-29 cancer cell lines with IC<SUB>50</SUB> values of 9.7 and 7.5μM. In contrast, glomerulosides F-H, lacking a benzoyloxy group, showed only moderate cytotoxic activity.

Applications of Laser-Fabricated Plasma Structures in Laser-Wakefield Accelerators, X-ray Lasers and Plasma Nonlinear Optics

C.T. Hsieh,M.W. Lin,C.L. Chang,Y.C. Ho,S.Y. Chen,J. Wang,M.C. Chou,J.Y. Lin,C.H. Pai,P.H. Lin,L.C. Tai,S.H. Chen,G.Y. Tsaur,C.C. Kuo,T.Y. Chien 한국물리학회 2008 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.53 No.6

A general method for fabricating transient plasma structures with high-intensity laser pulses is developed to gain fine control over laser-plasma interactions. These structures have been used as programmable photonic devices in the development of laser-wakefield accelerators, soft X-ray lasers and plasma nonlinear optics driven by multi-terawatt laser pulses. Plasma ramps are used to control electron injection in laser-wakefield accelerators, plasma waveguides are used to enhance the efficiency of soft X-ray lasers by orders of magnitude and periodic plasma structures are used to achieve quasi-phase matching in relativistic harmonic generation. By scanning the interaction length with the same plasma-fabrication method, tomographic measurements are carried out to resolve the injection/acceleration process in laser-wakefield accelerators and amplification processes in X-ray lasers and relativistic harmonic generation. A theoretical analysis and a computer simulation are also carried out to provide insightful pictures of these processes. These research works show that by controlling plasma structures with optical fabrication methods, laser-plasma interaction can be engineered to expand and enrich the frontier of high-field physics.

THE EFFECT OF DUCK HEPATITIS B VIRUS ON PERSISTENT INFECTION ON LAYING PERFORMANCE IN BROWN TSAIYA DUCKS

Tai, C.,Tai, J.J.L.,Chen, P.J. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 1993 Animal Bioscience Vol.6 No.3

In order to understand the effect of duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) on the economic performance of ducks, Three groups (DHBV congenitally infected, experimentally infected and DHBV negative) Brown Tsaiya ducks (Anas platyrhyncha) were used for experimental animals. Artificial insemination and pedigree hatching were applied in the propagation of ducklings, and the efficiency of vertical transmission and experimental infection was analyzed through the detection of DHBV DNA in the sera of 8-week-old offspring. The observation of the records of the first year indicated that the persistent infection had no significant effects on the performance of ducks, except the egg number of survival ducks up to 40 week of age. Thus DHBV infection did not appear to give ill effects to the economic performance of ducks in first laying year. A higher infection rate (85.3%) was obtained in congenital transmission than that (75.5%) of experimental infection. Both modes of infection did not reach 100% infectious rate, although some ducks developed transient viraemia in a tracing of DHBV DNA for 24 weeks to 11 challenged ducklings.

TEM investigation of hydrogen-implanted and annealed single-crystal SrTiO3

G.K.H. Pang,C.W. Tai,Y. Wang,W.L. Liu,Z.T. Song,S.L. Feng,H.L.W. Chan,C.L. Choy 한국물리학회 2006 Current Applied Physics Vol.6 No.3

In this study, the structural properties of single-crystal SrTiO3 implanted with H+ have been investigated by transmission electronmicrocopy (TEM). The investigation was carried out on an as-implanted sample and samples after annealing at 500.C and 700 .Cfrom the implanted energy similar to the process in the case of silicon. The as-implanted sample shows large out-of-plane strain alsosimilar to the report in silicon. The microcavities are lled with amorphous material as the result of complicated interaction of the defectsduring the annealing.

Relationship between the abdominal sagging index and the reproductive performance of the Roman goose

Chang S. C.,Lin M. J.,Lin L. J.,Peng S. Y.,Lee Tzu Tai 아세아·태평양축산학회 2023 Animal Bioscience Vol.36 No.4

Objective: This research aimed to explore the changes in the observed abdominal sagging index (ASI) and reproductive performance of Roman male and female geese during the breeding period. Methods: The 339 six-month-old breeding geese (109 male; 230 female) were used in this study, in which five male and five female geese were slaughtered on a monthly basis to record the ASI. Results: The short diameter of the testes of the male goose when the female goose lays eggs and in the second, third, and fourth months was significantly wider than in the fifth months (19.0, 20.8, 21.4, and 19.6 vs 12.7 and 14.0 mm/bird; p = 0.0105). On the other hand, the testicular weight of the male goose in the second and third months after the female goose lays eggs was significantly higher than that in the second and fifth months after laying (0.33% and 0.37% vs 0.11% and 0.19%; p = 0.0212). During the exploring period, the length and weight of the fallopian tube, the weight of the ovary, the number of follicles in 2 to 3 cm, the number of follicles in 3 to 4 cm, the fallopian tube weight in the carcass weight percentage, and the ovary weight in the carcass weight percentage all demonstrated a significant curve response. Further, female ASI was positively correlated with reproductive tract length (r = 0.815; p<0.05) and egg production per female (r = 0.790; p<0.05). Conclusion: The ASI classification method is more objective and easy to distinguish. This scoring method has a high correlation with the number of eggs laid by each goose and the length of the reproductive tract, inferring that the goose observation could take advantage of ASI during egg-laying and can predict the reproductive system development during the laying period and determine when the breeding goose begins to lay eggs.

Triterpene Saponins from the Sea Cucumber Stichopus chloronotus

Thao, N.P.,Luyen, B.T.T.,Vien, L.T.,Tai, B.H.,Dat, L.D.,Cuong, N.X.,Nam, N.H.,Van Kiem, P.,Van Minh, C.,Kim, Y.H. NATURAL PRODUCT COMMUNICATIONS 2014 Natural product communications Vol.9 No.5