Adjusting scrotal circumference of yearling beef bulls in five composites

1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. D. Kress ◽  
K. C. Davis ◽  
M. W. Tess

Records from five composite strains of beef cattle were used to estimate age of dam and age of bull adjustment factors for scrotal circumference of yearling bulls. Data were obtained from Beefbooster Cattle Alberta Ltd., Calgary, AB. There were 5244 scrotal circumference records on yearling bulls born from 1987 to 1992. M1, M2, and M4 were maternal composites selected primarily for weaning weight, M3 was a terminal composite selected primarily for low birth weight, and TX was a terminal composite selected primarily for feedlot gain. The prominent foundation breeds were Angus for M1, Hereford for M2, various small breeds for M3, Limousin and Gelbvieh for M4, and Charolais for TX. Statistical analyses were performed for each composite separately according to the model that included the fixed effects of herd, year, age of dam and linear (quadratic was not significant) regression on age of bull at measurement. Average age at measurement was 340, 333, 361, 358, and 375 d for M1, M2, M3, M4, and TX, respectively, and range in age was about 100 d for most composites. Age of dam was significant for all composites except M4. Linear regressions on age of bull were 0.0376, 0.0379, 0.0308, 0.0410, and 0.0349 cm d−1 for M1, M2, M3, M4, and TX, respectively. Scrotal circumference of composite bulls should be adjusted additively for age of dam and linearly for age of bull. These adjustments tended to be smaller for age of dam and larger for age of bull than those reported for straighbred or purebred bulls. Key words: Beef cattle, composites, scrotal circumference, adjustment factors

1990 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 963-965
Author(s):  
J. C. OLTHOFF ◽  
G. H. CROW ◽  
G. W. RAHNEFELD

Lines within a breed which differ in their level of performance may require different age-of-dam adjustment factors in the same way that different breeds do. Age-of-dam adjustments calculated from a control and a yearling weight selection line indicated lower values in the selected line for calf birth weight, weaning weight and yearling weight for 2- and 4-yr-old dams. Trends for adjustment factors in each line over time were generally not significant but tended to diverge. Age-of-dam adjustment factors within a breed may need to be reevaluated at intervals as levels of performance change. Key words: Beef cattle, age of dam adjustment, selection, yearling weight


1983 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-15
Author(s):  
A. K. W. TONG

A subset of birth weight records consisting of 191 535 calves, from 7021 herd-years with fewer than 50% estimated weights, tested during 1971 through 1980 was selected from the data files of the Federal-Provincial Record of Performance program for beef cattle to estimate breed averages and age of dam adjustment factors. The main effects included herd-years, breed of sire, breed of dam, sex of calf and age of dam. The interaction effects for breed of sire by sex of calf on birth weight were significant (P < 0.01) and the estimated differences for 22 breeds of sire expressed as deviations from the Hereford breed ranged from − 4.05 to 6.27 kg for male calves and from − 3.70 to 6.20 kg for female calves. The effects of breed of dam, sex of calf, age of dam and all the two-way interactions were significant at P < 0.01, while the three-way interaction was significant at P < 0.05. Additive age of dam adjustment factors within sex of calf were derived for 12 breeds of dam. The general age of dam effects averaged over breed of sire and breed of dam, expressed as deviations from the mature dams, were − 2.69, − 1.27, − 0.41, 0 kg for male calves, and − 2.64, − 1.26, − 0.50, 0 kg for female calves from 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5 + yr-old dams. Key words: Birth weight, breed averages, age of dam adjustment factors


1982 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 699-708 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. K. SHARMA ◽  
L. WILLMS ◽  
R. T. HARDIN ◽  
R. T. BERG

Sex of calf and age of dam effects on birth weight, preweaning ADG, 180-day weaning weight; and age of dam effects on yearling weight, postweaning ADG in males, and 18-mo weight in females were studied in a Hereford and a beef Synthetic population. The effects of breed, sex of calf, age of dam and year were significant on preweaning traits. The superior milking ability of Synthetic cows over Herefords was more pronounced for male than female calves. Additive and multiplicative adjustment factors were calculated from the least squares analyses. Additive adjustments for age of dam and multiplicative adjustments for sex of calf were found most suitable for preweaning traits. Three methods of application of adjustment factors were studied. Multiplicative sex of calf adjustment followed by additive age of dam adjustment was found to be most effective as indicated by the reductions in mean squares for main effects and interactions. Additive and multiplicative age of dam factors are presented for yearling weight in males and 18-mo weight in females. Use of additive factors is recommended. Extending weaning weight age of dam adjustments for postweaning traits was not found suitable in this study. Key words: Beef cattle, age and sex, adjustment factors


2014 ◽  
Vol 205 (5) ◽  
pp. 340-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Loret De Mola ◽  
Giovanny Vinícius Araújo De França ◽  
Luciana de Avila Quevedo ◽  
Bernardo Lessa Horta

BackgroundThere is no consensus on the effects that low birth weight, premature birth and intrauterine growth have on later depression.AimsTo review systematically the evidence on the relationship of low birth weight, smallness for gestational age (SGA) and premature birth with adult depression.MethodWe searched the literature for original studies assessing the effect of low birth weight, premature birth and SGA on adult depression. Separate meta-analyses were carried out for each exposure using random and fixed effects models. We evaluated the contribution of methodological covariates to heterogeneity using meta-regression.ResultsWe identified 14 studies evaluating low birth weight, 9 premature birth and 4 SGA. Low birth weight increased the odds of depression (OR = 1.39, 95% CI 1.21–1.60). Premature birth and SGA were not associated with depression, but publication bias might have underestimated the effect of the former and only four studies evaluated SGA.ConclusionsLow birth weight was associated with depression. Future studies evaluating premature birth and SGA are needed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 99 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 158-159
Author(s):  
Chad A Russell ◽  
E J Pollak ◽  
Matthew L Spangler

Abstract The commercial beef cattle industry relies heavily on the use of natural service sires. Either due to the size of breeding herds or to safe-guard against injury during the breeding season, multiple-sire breeding pastures are utilized. Although each bull might be given an equal opportunity to produce offspring, evidence suggest that there is substantial variation in the number of calves sired by each bull in a breeding pasture. DNA-based paternity assignment enables correct assignment of calves to their respective sires in multi-sire pastures and presents an opportunity to investigate the degree to which this trait complex is under genetic control. Field data from a large commercial ranch were used to estimate genetic parameters for calf count (CC; n=623) and yearling scrotal circumference (SC; n=1962) using univariate and bivariate animal models. Average CC and SC were 12.1±11.1 calves and 35.4±2.30 cm, respectively. Average number breeding seasons per bull and bulls per contemporary group were 1.40 and 24.9, respectively. The model for CC included fixed effects of age during the breeding season (in years) and contemporary group (concatenation of breeding pasture and year). Random effects included additive genetic and permanent environmental effects, and a residual. The model for SC included fixed effects of age (in days) and contemporary group (concatenation of month and year of measurement). Random effects included an additive genetic effect and a residual. Univariate model heritability estimates for CC and SC were 0.237±0.156 and 0.456±0.072, respectively. Similarly, the bivariate model resulted in heritability estimates for CC and SC of 0.240±0.155 and 0.461±0.072, respectively. Repeatability estimates for CC from univariate and bivariate models were 0.517±0.054 and 0.518±0.053, respectively. The estimate of genetic correlation between CC and SC was 0.270±0.220. Parameter estimates suggest that both CC and SC would respond favorably to selection and that CC is moderately repeatable.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 384-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fu-Sheng Chou ◽  
Hung-Wen Yeh ◽  
Chu-Yen Chen ◽  
Gene T. Lee ◽  
Marc R. Parrish ◽  
...  

AbstractGrowth in the immediate postnatal period for extremely low birth weight (ELBW, birth weight < 1000 g) infants is an important topic in neonatal medicine. The goal is to ensure adequate postnatal growth and to minimize complications resulting from suboptimal growth. Past efforts have focused on postnatal nutrition as well as on minimizing comorbidities. It has not been systematically assessed whether antenatal factors play a role in postnatal growth. In this report, we conducted a retrospective study on 91 maternal–neonatal pairs. We prospectively collected maternal and neonatal demographic data, neonatal nutrition in the first 7 days of life and after enteral nutrition is fully established, comorbidity data, as well as weight data from birth to 50 weeks corrected gestational age. We developed a linear mixed-effects model to examine the role of placental insufficiency, as defined by fetal Doppler studies, in postnatal weight z-score trajectory over time in the ELBW population. We relied on Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) for model selection. Interestingly, the selected model included a quadratic term of time and a placental insufficiency-by-time interaction term. In a covariate analysis, AIC and BIC both favored a model that included calories intake in the first 7 days of life and the total duration of antibiotics as fixed-effects, but not their interaction terms with time. Overall, we demonstrated for the first time that placental insufficiency, an antenatal factor, is a major determinant of postnatal weight trajectory in the ELBW population. Prospective studies are warranted to confirm our findings.


2021 ◽  
pp. jech-2020-214858
Author(s):  
Alicia R Riley ◽  
Daniel Collin ◽  
Jacob M Grumbach ◽  
Jacqueline M Torres ◽  
Rita Hamad

BackgroundThe current US context is marked by extreme right–left partisanship, which means that state policies tend to bundle together and are not experienced in isolation. While prior work has leveraged abrupt shifts in single policies to examine the effects of state policy on birth outcomes, we examined a holistic measure that captures political polarisation.MethodsData were drawn from national birth certificates for 2003–2017 (N=56 770 470). Outcomes included preterm birth, low birth weight, small-for-gestational age and other perinatal health measures. The primary exposure was a composite index of right–left state policy orientation, generated from historical data on 135 state policies. Multivariable regressions were used to estimate the association between state policy orientation and each outcome, adjusting for relevant covariates.ResultsCompared with infants born in states with right-leaning policy orientations, those born in left-leaning states had lower odds of adverse birth outcomes (eg, low birth weight: OR 0.95 (0.93, 0.97), preterm birth: OR 0.94 (0.92, 0.95)). Subgroup analyses revealed stronger associations for US-born and White mothers. With the inclusion of state fixed effects, left-leaning policy orientation was no longer associated with lower odds of adverse birth outcomes. Models were otherwise robust to alternative specifications.ConclusionWhile left-leaning state policy orientation has protective associations with a range of birth outcomes, the associations may be explained by stable characteristics of states, at least during the study period. Future studies should examine state policy orientation in association with other health outcomes and study periods.


2014 ◽  
Vol 59 (No. 7) ◽  
pp. 302-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Vostrý ◽  
Z. Veselá ◽  
A. Svitáková ◽  
H. Vostrá Vydrová

The most appropriate model for genetic parameters estimation for calving ease and birth weight in beef cattle was selected. A total of 27 402 field records were available from the Czech Charolais breed. For estimation of genetic parameters for calving ease and body weight, three bivariate models were tested: a linear-linear animal model (L-LM) with calving ease classified into four categories (1 &ndash; easy; 2&ndash;4 &ndash; most difficult), a linear-linear animal model (SC-LM) in which calving ease scores were transformed into Snell scores (Snell 1964) and expressed as percentage of assisted calving (ranging 0&ndash;100%), and a bivariate threshold-linear animal model (T-LM) with calving ease classified into four categories (1 &ndash; easy, 2&ndash;4 &ndash; most difficult). All tested models included fixed effects for contemporary group (herd &times; year &times; season), age of dam, sex and breed of a calf. Random effects included direct and maternal genetic effects, maternal permanent environmental effect, and residual error. Direct heritability estimates for calving ease and birth weight were, with the use of L-LM, SC-LM, and T-LM, from 0.096 &plusmn; 0.013 to 0.226 &plusmn; 0.024 and from 0.210 &plusmn; 0.024 to 0.225 &plusmn; 0.026, respectively. Maternal heritability estimates for calving ease and birth weight were, with the use of L-LM, SC-LM, and T-LM, from 0.060 &plusmn; 0.031 to 0.104 &plusmn; 0.125 and from 0.074 &plusmn; 0.041 to 0.075 &plusmn; 0.040, respectively. Genetic correlations of direct calving ease with direct birth weight ranged from 0.46 &plusmn; 0.06 to 0.50 &plusmn; 0.06 for all tested models; whereas maternal genetic correlations between these two traits ranged from 0.24 &plusmn; 0.17 to 0.25 &plusmn; 0.53. Correlations between direct and maternal genetic effects within-trait were negative and substantial for all tested models (ranging from &ndash;0.574 &plusmn; 0.125 to &ndash;0.680 &plusmn; 0.141 for calving ease and from &ndash;0.553 &plusmn; 0.122 to &ndash;0.558 &plusmn; 0.118 for birth weight, respectively), illustrating the importance of including this parameter in calving ease evaluations. Results indicate that any of the tested models could be used to reliably estimate genetic parameters for calving ease for beef cattle in the Czech Republic. However, because of advantages in computation time and practical considerations, genetic analysis using SC-LM (transformed data) is recommended.


1997 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. E. Crumps ◽  
G. Simm ◽  
D. Nicholson ◽  
R. H. Findlay ◽  
J. G. E. Bryan ◽  
...  

AbstractThis paper reports the procedures put into place in the UK for the genetic evaluation of pedigree beef cattle and estimation of genetic trends using a comprehensive model to allow critical analysis of progress made under previous data recording schemes. Live weights of Simmental, Limousin, Charolais, South Devon and Aberdeen Angus beef cattle, recorded by the Meat and Livestock Commission (MLC) from 1970 to 1992 were analysed, as part of a project to introduce best linear unbiased predictions (BLUP) of breeding value in the British beef industry. Birth weights were available from MLC or the relevant breed society, (4000 to 84000 records, depending on the breed) and 200- and 400-day weights were estimated by within-animal linear regression on all available weights (resulting in 8000 to 48000 records per breed). Animals were retrospectively assigned to contemporary groups within herds, separately for each trait, taking account of observed calving patterns. Records were adjusted to correct for heterogeneity of variance between herds. BLUP evaluations were then performed within breed, fitting a multivariate individual animal model. In addition to additive direct genetic effects, additive maternal genetic and dam permanent environmental effects were included for birth weight and 200-day weight. Unknown parents were assigned to genetic groups, based on estimated date of birth. The model included fixed effects for contemporary group, sex, month of birth, birth type (single or multiple), embryo transfer births, fostered calves, breed of dam, proportion purebred and age of dam. Genetic trends were estimated by regressing estimated breeding values for animals on their year of birth. Trends in birth weight, 200-day weight and 400-day weight between 1970 and 1992 were approximately 0·09, 0·73 and 1·38 kg per annum respectively for the Charolais breed; 0·08, 0·76 and 1·33 kg per annum for the Simmental; 0·06, 0·53 and 0·89 kg per annum for the Limousin; 0·12, 1·02 and 1·86 kg per annum for the Aberdeen Angus; and 0·03, 0·38 and 0·82 kg per annum for the South Devon breed.


2003 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. H. Crews Jr. ◽  
D. J. Porteous

The objective of the study was to estimate age of dam and age at measurement as adjustment factors for scrotal circumference in Canadian Hereford bulls (n = 9029) and to estimate genetic parameters for scrotal circumference, and birth and yearling weights. Quadratic effects of age at measurement and the interaction of age of dam with age at measurement were not important. Adjustment factors recommended for yearling bulls were 1.02, 0.33, 0.10, and 0.16 cm to adjust scrotal circumference of sons of 2-, 3-, 4-, and ≥ 10-yr-old cows to a mature dam (5 to 9 yr of age) equivalent. The linear partial regression coefficient for age at measurement was 0.036 cm d-1. Genetic parameters were estimated using a multiple trait animal model and REML. The heritability estimate for (age of dam and age at measurement) adjusted scrotal circumference was 0.40 ± 0.03, and heritability estimates were 0.43 ± 0.05, 0.21 ± 0.09, and 0.36 ± 0.03 for direct birth weight, maternal birth weight, and yearling weight, respectively. The genetic correlation of adjusted scrotal circumference with direct birth weight was low (0.15), and was moderate (0.38) with yearling weight, but was near zero (-0.01) with maternal birth weight. Environmental and phenotypic correlations of adjusted scrotal circumference were low with birth weight, and were high with yearling weight. These results indicate that there was a positive association between adjusted scrotal circumference and body weight. Genetic improvement of fertility through the use of adjusted scrotal circumference as an indicator trait would not be expected to be antagonistic to that for body weight. Key words: Beef cattle, fertility, Hereford, scrotal circumference


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