Estimation of variances of the effects of incomplete diallels using a matrix approach

A matrix approach is described for assessing the variance of effects in incomplete diallels designs. The method is illustrated by reference to simulated complete and incomplete diallels using different combinations of constraints, average degree of dominance and, for the incomplete diallel, number of hybrids. Our results showed that caution should be taken in working with incomplete diallels under conditions of overdominance because there were changes in the rank of the genotypes when the excluded hybrid had parents with a low frequency of the favorable allele (i.e. the allele which increases expression of a character). The expression described in this paper is a rapid and safe approach to estimate variances and covariances of the effects of contrasts of incomplete diallels. Copyright by the Brazilian Society of Genetics.

Tendências genéticas para características relacionadas à velocidade de crescimento em bovinos nelore na região nordeste do brasil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Classificação automática de padrões projetados por um sistema de luz estruturada

One of the main problems in Computer Vision and Close Range Digital Photogrammetry is 3D reconstruction. 3D reconstruction with structured light is one of the existing techniques and which still has several problems, one of them the identification or classification of the projected targets. Approaching this problem is the goal of this paper. An area based method called template matching was used for target classification. This method performs detection of area similarity by correlation, which measures the similarity between the reference and search windows, using a suitable correlation function. In this paper the modified cross covariance function was used, which presented the best results. A strategy was developed for adaptative resampling of the patterns, which solved the problem of deformation of the targets due to object surface inclination. Experiments with simulated and real data were performed in order to assess the efficiency of the proposed methodology for target detection. The results showed that the proposed classification strategy works properly, identifying 98% of targets in plane surfaces and 93% in oblique surfaces.

Consistency between light-front quantization and covariantization for zero modes

In the light-cone gauge choice for Abelian and non-Abelian gauge fields, the vector boson propagator carries in it an additional spurious or unphysical pole intrinsic to the choice requiring a careful mathematical treatment. Research in this field over the years has shown us that mathematical consistency only is not enough to guarantee physically meaningful results. Whatever the prescription invoked to handle such an object, it has to preserve causality in the process. On the other hand, the covariantization technique is a well-suited one to tackle gauge-dependent poles in the Feynman integrals, dispensing the use of ad hoc prescriptions. In this work we show that the covariantization technique in the light-cone gauge is a direct consequence of the canonical quantization of the theory. © World Scientific Publishing Company.

Comparação entre o desempenho motor de hommes e mulheres em séries múltiplas de exercícios com pesos

The magnitude of men and women's neuromuscular, metabolic, and morphologic responses seems to be quite different even when both are submitted to exercise protocols using similar weight exercises protocols. However, differences in the motor performance between men and women have been predominantly reported in protocols based on isometric and isokinetic contractions. Thus, this study aimed to analyze men and women's behavior during multiple sets of weight exercises achieving the exhaustion, and later verifying possible differences as to the physical performance between genders using weights with similar intensity. For this, 83 subjects (50 men, and 33 women), 48 hours after being submitted to 1-RM tests in bench press, squat and arm curl performed a protocol composed by four sets at 1-RM 80% up to achieving the exhaustion in each of three exercises to evaluate the endurance ability to the fatigue in different muscular groups. It was used the ANOVA and ANCOVA for repeated measurements, followed by the Tukey's post hoc test, where P < 0.05 to the data treatment. It was verified a significant fall in the performance both in men and in women since the first up to the fourth sets of every exercise investigated (P < 0.01). Although the fatigue magnitude was higher in men in all the three exercises, the effect on the gender was only identified in the arm curl exercise (P < 0.01). The results of this study indicated that men and women presented quite different behavior in multiple sets of weight exercises, and women presented a more stable performance and a higher endurance ability to the fatigue in the arm curl as well.

Genetic variation in growth traits and yield of rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensis) growing in the Brazilian state of São Paulo

Analysis of variance and covariance was preformed on growth traits (stem girth, bark thickness, total height gain and rubber yield) of 22 open-pollinated progenies of the rubber tree Hevea brasiliensis from an Asian Hevea collection introduced to Agronomic Institute (Instituto Agronômico, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil; IAC) in 1952. This progeny trial was replicated at three sites in São Paulo state and it was found that at three years from sowing there was statistically significant variation for girth, bark thickness, height and rubber yield. An individual test sites, values of individual plant heritability for girth ranged from ĥ i 2 = 0.36 to ĥ i 2 = 0.89 whereas values for heritability for progeny means ranged from ĥ i 2 = 0.77 to ĥ i 2 = 0.87. These moderate and high heritabilities suggest that a combination of progeny and within-progeny selection would be effective at increasing girth in this population at individual sites. Across sites, values of individual-plant heritability for girth ranged from ĥ i 2 = 0.36 to ĥ i 2 = 0.47, whereas values for heritability of progeny means girth ranged from ĥ x̄ 2 = 0.77 to ĥ x̄ 2 = 0.87. There were high positive genetic correlations between increased girth and bark thickness suggesting that breeding aimed at increasing girth would also increase bark thickness and possibly height. Copyright by the Brazilian Society of Genetics.

Um estudo sobre o osu do modelo de cor RGB no proceso de correspondência por correlação

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Impacto humano afeta negativamente a dispersão de sementes de frutos ornitocóricos: Uma perspectiva global

Ornithochorous fruits make up an important part of the diet of birds and many studies have related the different morphological types of fruits with the choice by birds. We analyzed the intrinsic characteristics of plants and how human impact can affect this choice. Through analyses of covariance we related the degree of human pressure in each study site (high or low) and the morphological characteristics of 57 ornithochorous species with visiting rates and consumption of fruits by birds. We did not find any intrinsic plant characteristic (life form, size and type of diaspore) that explains the rates of consumption and visit by birds. On the other hand, the degree of human impact affected directly the mutualism between plants and birds. Plant species located in areas that suffer high human pressure had number of visits and consumption rates 3,3 and 3,5 lower than plants located in pristine areas, respectively. The negative consequences of the reduction of consumption of fruits in areas with high human pressures may directly affects the interactions between birds and plants and the regeneration of the ornithochorous species.

The use of principal components and univariate charts to control multivariate processes

In this article, we evaluate the performance of the T2 chart based on the principal components (PC chart) and the simultaneous univariate control charts based on the original variables (SU X̄ charts) or based on the principal components (SUPC charts). The main reason to consider the PC chart lies on the dimensionality reduction. However, depending on the disturbance and on the way the original variables are related, the chart is very slow in signaling, except when all variables are negatively correlated and the principal component is wisely selected. Comparing the SU X̄, the SUPC and the T 2 charts we conclude that the SU X̄ charts (SUPC charts) have a better overall performance when the variables are positively (negatively) correlated. We also develop the expression to obtain the power of two S 2 charts designed for monitoring the covariance matrix. These joint S2 charts are, in the majority of the cases, more efficient than the generalized variance |S| chart.

Correlações genéticas de características de tamanho corporal e condição corporal com características de eficiência produtiva de fêmeas da raça Canchim

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Estudio cuantitativo de los tiempos en las carreras de purasangre en pistas de tierra y césped en Brasil

This study was conducted to estimate the genetic parameters for race times on turf and dirt tracks of Thoroughbred race horses. Data used were recorded by the Turftotal Ltd. for 343,419 racing performance of 26,713 animals, from January 1992 to January 2003. The model used in analysis included random animal and permanent environmental effects, and age, post position at start, sex and race as fixed effects. The variance and covariance components and the breeding value were estimated using the MTGSAM software. Heritability estimates were 0.29 for time on dirt track and 0.25 for time on turf track, indicating a moderate association between the animals' breeding values and their phenotypic values. Although genetic and environmental variances were smaller in turf tracks, their repeatability was equal to that of dirt (0.56), in terms of the highest estimated phenotypic variance for the latter type of track. The genetic correlation between times on different tracks was high (0.70). Considering the mean breeding value of the progeny of 465 stallions with 10 or more offspring, Spearman's correlation was 0.80, indicating that most Thoroughbred stallions produce offspring suited to both dirt and turf racing tracks.

Monitoring bivariate processes

The T2 chart and the generalized variance |S| chart are the usual tools for monitoring the mean vector and the covariance matrix of multivariate processes. The main drawback of these charts is the difficulty to obtain and to interpret the values of their monitoring statistics. In this paper, we study control charts for monitoring bivariate processes that only requires the computation of sample means (the ZMAX chart) for monitoring the mean vector, sample variances (the VMAX chart) for monitoring the covariance matrix, or both sample means and sample variances (the MCMAX chart) in the case of the joint control of the mean vector and the covariance matrix.

The Poisson-exponential lifetime distribution

In this paper we proposed a new two-parameters lifetime distribution with increasing failure rate. The new distribution arises on a latent complementary risk problem base. The properties of the proposed distribution are discussed, including a formal proof of its probability density function and explicit algebraic formulae for its reliability and failure rate functions, quantiles and moments, including the mean and variance. A simple EM-type algorithm for iteratively computing maximum likelihood estimates is presented. The Fisher information matrix is derived analytically in order to obtaining the asymptotic covariance matrix. The methodology is illustrated on a real data set. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genotype by environment interaction in different birth seasons for weight at 240, 365 and 450 days of age in Tabapuã cattle

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of genotype by environment interaction (GEI) on the weight of Tabapuã cattle at 240 (W240), 365 (W365) and 450 (W450) days of age. In total, 35,732 records of 8,458 Tabapuã animalswhich were born in the state of Bahia, Brazil, from 1975 to 2001, from 167 sires and 3,707 dams, were used. Two birth seasons were tested as for the environment effect: the dry (D) and rainy (R) ones. The covariance components were obtainedby a multiple-trait analysis using Bayesian inference, in which each trait was considered as being different in each season. Covariance components were estimated by software gibbs2f90. As for W240, the model was comprised of contemporary groups and cow age (in classes) as fixed effects; animal and maternal genetic additive, maternal permanent environmental and residual were considered as random effects. Concerning W365 and W450, the model included only the contemporary aged cow groups as fixed effects and the genetic additive and residual effects of the animal as the random ones. The GEI was assessed considering the genetic correlation, in which values below 0.80 indicated the presence of GEI. Regarding W365 and W450, the GEI was found in both seasons. As for post-weaning weight (W240), the effect of such interaction was not observed. ©2012 Sociedade Brasileira de Zootecnia.

Evaluation of mature cow weight: Genetic correlations with traits used in selection indices, correlated responses, and genetic trends in Nelore cattle

Genetic correlations of selection indices and the traits considered in these indices with mature weight (MW) of Nelore females and correlated responses were estimated to determine whether current selection practices will result in an undesired correlated response in MW. Genetic trends for weaning and yearling indices and MW were also estimated. Data from 612,244 Nelore animals born between 1984 and 2010, belonging to different beef cattle evaluation programs from Brazil and Paraguay, were used. The following traits were studied: weaning conformation (WC), weaning precocity (WP), weaning muscling (WM), yearling conformation (YC), yearling precocity (YP), yearling muscling (YM), weaning and yearling indices, BW gain from birth to weaning (BWG), postweaning BW gain (PWG), scrotal circumference (SC), and MW. The variance and covariance components were estimated by Bayesian inference in a multitrait analysis, including all traits in the same analysis, using a nonlinear (threshold) animal model for visual scores and a linear animal model for the other traits. The mean direct heritabilities were 0.21 ± 0.007 (WC), 0.22 ± 0.007 (WP), 0.20 ± 0.007 (WM), 0.43 ± 0.005 (YC), 0.40 ± 0.005 (YP), 0.40 ± 0.005 (YM), 0.17 ± 0.003 (BWG), 0.21 ± 0.004 (PWG), 0.32 ± 0.001 (SC), and 0.44 ± 0.018 (MW). The genetic correlations between MW and weaning and yearling indices were positive and of medium magnitude (0.30 ± 0.01 and 0.31 ± 0.01, respectively). The genetic changes in weaning index, yearling index, and MW, expressed as units of genetic SD per year, were 0.26, 0.27, and 0.01, respectively. The genetic trend for MW was nonsignificant, suggesting no negative correlated response. The selection practice based on the use of sires with high final index giving preference for those better ranked for yearling precocity and muscling than for conformation generates only a minimal correlated response in MW. © 2013 American Society of Animal Science. All rights reserved.