• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.83-92
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• 2013

Genetic studies on facial morphology targeting healthy populations are fundamental in understanding the specific genetic influences involved; yet, most studies to date, if not all, have been focused on congenital diseases accompanied by facial anomalies. To study the specific genetic cues determining facial morphology, we estimated familial correlations and heritabilities of 14 facial measurements and 3 latent factors inferred from a factor analysis in a subset of the Korean population. The study included a total of 229 individuals from 38 families. We evaluated a total of 14 facial measurements using 2D digital photographs. We performed factor analysis to infer common latent variables. The heritabilities of 13 facial measurements were statistically significant (p < 0.05) and ranged from 0.25 to 0.61. Of these, the heritability of intercanthal width in the orbital region was found to be the highest ($h^2$ = 0.61, SE = 0.14). Three factors (lower face portion, orbital region, and vertical length) were obtained through factor analysis, where the heritability values ranged from 0.45 to 0.55. The heritability values for each factor were higher than the mean heritability value of individual original measurements. We have confirmed the genetic influence on facial anthropometric traits and suggest a potential way to categorize and analyze the facial portions into different groups.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.255-269
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• 2005

This study was aimed to investigate genetic relationships, variables, and correlations between economic traits and metabolic materials in serum components according to bleeding periods and breeding locations for the castrated and not castrated Hanwoo cattle at National Livestock Research Institute. Analysis of variance for serum hormones and metabolic materials showed significant differences by breeding locations except for testosterone and globulin. Statistical differences for serum components were detected by birth year except for cortisol, total protein, globulin and creatinine, and by castration except for total protein and BUN. All the serum components were tended to have sire effects except for testosterone resulting in some degree of additive gene actions. Breeding locations showed statistical significances for carcass weight and back fat thickness, but not in carcass rate, KPH, live weight and transportation weight loss. Effects of breeding locations and castration were significant for all weight measurement periods except for 9 month and 6 month, respectively. A significant sire effect was observed in all weight measurements. Least squared means for concentration of serum components by breeding year, season and castration were not significant. High concentration of cortisol, creatinine and triglyceride and low concentration of IGF-1 and glucose were detected in castrated cattle. Concentration of testosterone with castrated cattle was $5.2\%$ corresponding to non castrated cattle. Estimation of heritabilities of serum components using a sire model with restricted maximum likelihood were ranged 0.07 to 0.58. High heritabilities were estimated for total protein, albumin, globulin, cortisol, creatinine and BUN were 0.53, 0.54, 0.42, 0.45, 0.58 and 0.54, respectively. Low heritabilities were estimated fur calcium, testosterone and IGF-1 for 0.07, 0.15 and 0.12, respectively. Heritabilities for carcass weight, back fat thickness, meat yield index, KPH, and IMF were estimated as 0.39, 0.45, 0.30 0.13, and 0.93. Heritabilities of weights on 18, 12, 9, 6, and 24 month were estimated as 0.78, 0.76, 0.62, 0.58 and 0.58. Estimated heritabilities for average daily gain on 6${\~}$2, 12${\~}$18, and 18${\~}$24 month were 0.80, 0.75 and 0.19, respectively.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.81-86
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• 1988

This experiment was carried out for estimating genetic parameters, such as heritabilities, the phenotrpic and genotypic correlations of major agronomic characters with 64 cultivars in wanggol. Heritabilities of leaf length, number of leaf, stem length, stem diameter, number of stem and dry weight of medulla were higher, but that of dry weight of cortical were relatively lower. The genotypic correlation coefficients between stem length and dry weight of medulla, and between stem length and dry weight of cortical showed highly positive correlation, and stem length, stem diameter and dry weight of medulla were significantly correlated with dry weight of cortical, those characters gave high direct effect as same level in path-coefficient analysis.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2001

Additive and dominance genetic variances were estimated for purebred Landrace selected with line breeding from 1989 to 1995 at Miyazaki Livestock Experiment Station, Kawaminami Branch. Ten body measurements, two reproductive traits and fifteen carcass traits were analyzed with single-trait mixed model analysis. The estimates of narrow-sense heritabilities by additive model were in the range of 0.07 to 0.46 for body measurements, 0.05 to 0.14 for reproductive traits, and 0.05 to 0.68 for carcass traits. The additive model tended to slightly overestimate the narrow-sense heritabilities as compared to the additive and dominance model. The proportion of the dominance variance to total genetic variance ranged from 0.11 to 0.91 for body measurements, 0.00 to 0.65 for reproductive traits, and 0.00 to 0.86 for carcass traits. Large differences among traits were found in the ratio of dominance to total genetic variance. These results suggested that dominance effect would affect the expression of all ten body measurements, one reproductive trait, and nine carcass traits. It is justified to consider the dominance effects in genetic evaluation of the selected lines for those traits.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.197-202
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• 2020

Objective: The objective of this study was to identify environmental factors strongly associated with and to estimate genetic parameters of reproductive traits in Japanese Black heifers. Methods: Data included reproduction records of Japanese Black heifers born between 2004 and 2014. First service non-return rate (NRR) to 56 days from first to successful insemination (FS), number of services per conception (IN), age at first calving (AFC) and gestation length were analyzed with the use of the general linear model. Genetic parameters were estimated with the use of the univariate animal model of the residual maximum likelihood. Results: Averages of reproductive traits over eleven years were assessed, and the effects of farm, year, month, artificial insemination technician and interaction of farm×year on the traits were determined. Estimated heritability of FS was very low and that of AFC was higher than that of the other traits. A close genetic relation was observed among NRR, IN, and FS; however, their heritabilities were very low. AFC shows favorable genetic correlation with IN and FS. Conclusion: Low heritabilities of most reproductive traits in Japanese Black heifers are strongly influenced by farm management practices, and that large residual variances make genetic evaluation difficult. Among the reproductive traits, AFC is potentially more useful for genetic improvement of heifer reproductive traits because it has high heritability and favorable genetic correlations with IN and FS.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.944-948
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• 2002

The aim of this study was to estimate heritability and repeatability for the number of embryos and transferable embryos collected per flush in Holstein population in Hokkaido, Japan. Data consisted of 306 MOET (Multiple Ovulation and Embryo Transfer) treatments on 224 Holstein cows from 1997 to 2000. Variance components for these traits were estimated using the REML procedure. The model included only non-genetic factors that were significant at the 0.05 level, through using generalized linear models, maximum likelihood methods, and stepwise regression procedure as fixed effects and sire and residual for heritabilities, donor and residual for repeatabilities as random effects. The factor identified as important in determining the results was the donor''s estrous condition after superovulation. Heritabilities for the number of embryos and transferable embryos collected per flush were 0.14 and 0.09, respectively. The corresponding repeatabilities were 0.43 and 0.32, respectively. These results show that it was difficult to genetically improve these traits, thus, environmental and physical factors affecting the donor must be improved. These results also show that it is necessary to take the donor''s estrous condition after superovulation and repeatabilities for the number of embryos and transferable embryos collected per flush into account when the genetic gains and inbreeding rates for MOET breeding schemes are predicted by a computer simulation.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.925-931
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• 2002

Gibbs sampling algorithms were implemented to the multi-trait threshold animal models with any combinations of multiple binary, ordered categorical, and linear traits and investigate the amount of bias on these models with two kinds of parameterization and algorithms for generating underlying liabilities. Statistical models which included additive genetic and residual effects as random and contemporary group effects as fixed were considered on the models using simulated data. The fully conditional posterior means of heritabilities and genetic (residual) correlations were calculated from 1,000 samples retained every 10th samples after 15,000 samples discarded as "burn-in" period. Under the models considered, several combinations of three traits with binary, multiple ordered categories, and continuous were analyzed. Five replicates were carried out. Estimates for heritabilities and genetic (residual) correlations as the posterior means were unbiased when underlying liabilities for a categorical trait were generated given by underlying liabilities of the other traits and threshold estimates were rescaled. Otherwise, when parameterizing threshold of zero and residual variance of one for binary traits, heritability estimates were inflated 7-10% upward. Genetic correlation estimates were biased upward if positively correlated and downward if negatively correlated when underling liabilities were generated without accounting for correlated traits on prior information. Residual correlation estimates were, consequently, much biased downward if positively correlated and upward if negatively correlated in that case. The more categorical trait had categories, the better mixing rate was shown.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.1690-1694
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• 2002

Genetic parameters were estimated for birth weight and weaning weight from three year (1991-1993) data totalling 1100 records of 25 rams to 205 ewes of Indigenous Sabi flock maintained at Grasslands Research Station in Zimbabwe. AIREML procedures were used fitting an Animal Model. The statistical model included the fixed effects of year of lambing, sex of lamb, birth type and the random effect of ewe. Weight of ewe when first joined with ram was included as a covariate. Direct heritability estimates of 0.27 and 0.38, and maternal heritability estimates of 0.24 and 0.09, were obtained for birth weight and weaning weight, respectively. The total heritability estimates were 0.69 and 0.77 for birth weight and weaning weight, respectively. Direct-aternal genetic correlations were high and positive. The corresponding genetic covariance estimates between direct and maternal effects were positive and low, 0.25 and 0.18 for birth weight and weaning weight, respectively. Responses to selection were 0.8 kg and 0.14 kg for birth weight and weaning weight, respectively. The estimated expected correlated response to selection for birth weight by directly selecting for weaning weight was 0.26. Direct heritabilities were moderate; as a result selection for any of these traits should be successful. Maternal heritabilities were low for weaning weight and should have less effect on selection response. Indirect selection can give lower response than direct selection.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.305-308
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to estimate the genetic parameters for backfat thickness at shoulder, mid back and loin and days to 90 kg using a derivative-free REML procedure. Data were collected from 6,146 boars and gilts of purebred Durocs, Landraces and Large Whites performance tested at breeding farms of National Agricultural Cooperatives Federation in Korea from 1998 to 2001. Estimated heritability for backfat measurements at shoulder, mid-back and loin and an average of those backfat measurements were 0.14, 0.32, 0.22 and 0.25 in Durocs, 0.34, 0.50, 0.42 and 0.46 in Landraces and 0.33, 0.52, 0.43 and 0.49 in Large Whites. Heritabilities of backfat measurements estimated were hightest in mid-back and lowest at shoulder. Phenotypic variances of backfat measurements estimated were largest at shoulder and smallest at mid-back. Estimated heritabilities for days to 90 kg were 0.37 in Durocs, 0.42 in Landraces and 0.54 in Large Whites. Genetic correlations among backfat measurements at shoulder, mid-back and loin and an average of those backfat measurements estimated were positive and very high. Genetic correlations of days to 90 kg with the backfat measurements estimated were _0.19 ~ _0.30 in Durocs, _0.04 ~ _0.17 in Landraces and _0.10 ~ _0.13 in Large Whites.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.8_spc
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• pp.1275-1283
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• 2019

Goats (Capra hircus) were domesticated during the late Neolithic, approximately 10,500 years ago, and humans exerted minor selection pressure until fairly recently. Probably the largest genetic change occurring over the millennia happened via natural selection and random genetic drift, the latter causing genes to be fixed in small and isolated populations. Recent human-influenced genetic changes have occurred through biometrics and genomics. For the most part, biometrics has concentrated upon the refining of estimates of heritabilities and genetic correlations. Heritabilities are instrumental in the calculation of estimated breeding values and genetic correlations are necessary in the construction of selection indices that account for changes in multiple traits under selection at one time. Early genomic studies focused upon microsatellite markers, which are short tandem repeats of nucleic acids and which are detected using polymerase chain reaction primers flanking the microsatellite. Microsatellite markers have been very important in parentage verification, which can impact genetic progress. Additionally, microsatellite markers have been a useful tool in assessing genetic diversity between and among breeds, which is important in the conservation of minor breeds. Single nucleotide polymorphisms are a new genomic tool that have refined classical BLUP methodology (biometric) to provide more accurate genomic estimated breeding values, provided a large reference population is available.