Development of a methodology to describe udder conformation in sows

The aim of this study was to develop a methodology to measure sow udder conformation to use in studying the correlation between udder traits and piglet survival, health and performance. The steps in the investigation were (i) to assess the repeatability of measures, (ii) to determine if there was an important difference between the two sides of the udder, (iii) to assess the extent of variation between sows, and finally (iv) to verify if the measures differ in a systematic way over the days shortly before farrowing. A total of 24 sows were scored for six conformation traits of the udder measured twice a day, every day from the sows’ entrance into the farrowing crates until farrowing (1 to 4 days later). The data were recorded from both sides when the sow was lying and when she was standing. The measurements taken were: inter-teat distance within the same row (SAMER; mm between the adjacent teat bases); distance from the base of the teats to the abdominal midline, recorded only in a lying posture (B); distance between the teat base and the adjacent teat on the opposite row, recorded only in a standing posture (OPPR), distance from the base of the teats to the ground (FLOOR); teat length (LEN) measured from the tip to the base, and diameter (DIA) measured at the tip of the teat. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) revealed that most udder conformation traits were highly repeatable (ICC>0.8); only DIA and FLOOR had lower repeatability (ICC=0.7). Measurements did not differ by side. In general, the greatest proportion of variance occurred at the sow level. Traits changed little in the days before farrowing, except for a change 1 day before farrowing in DIA, FLOOR and OPPR. Measures which used anatomical landmarks as the reference point were more reliable than those using the floor of the pen. Udder conformation measures can be used as a reliable phenotype for further study. They can be collected on any day shortly before farrowing, and only from one side and in one posture to save time.     

Analysis of rabbit doe longevity using a semiparametric log-Normal animal frailty model with time-dependent covariates

Data on doe longevity in a rabbit population were analysed using a semiparametric log-Normal animal frailty model. Longevity was defined as the time from the first positive pregnancy test to death or culling due to pathological problems. Does culled for other reasons had right censored records of longevity. The model included time dependent covariates associated with year by season, the interaction between physiological state and the number of young born alive, and between order of positive pregnancy test and physiological state. The model also included an additive genetic effect and a residual in log frailty. Properties of marginal posterior distributions of specific parameters were inferred from a full Bayesian analysis using Gibbs sampling. All of the fully conditional posterior distributions defining a Gibbs sampler were easy to sample from, either directly or using adaptive rejection sampling. The marginal posterior mean estimates of the additive genetic variance and of the residual variance in log frailty were 0.247 and 0.690.     

Length of productive life of crossbred sows is affected by farm management, leg conformation, sow's own prolificacy, sow's origin parity and genetics

The purpose of the current study was to determine if the parity of the litter in which a female was born and the number of pigs within that same litter are associated with future length of productive life (LPL). An additional objective of the study was to examine the associations of leg conformation (evaluated at approx. 100 kg of live weight), age at first farrowing, litter size at first farrowing, and age and backfat thickness at 100 kg on LPL in the Finnish crossbred (Landrace × Large White or Large White × Landrace) population. The data analysed contained information on 11 761 sows, and proportional hazard model (Weibull) was fitted on the data using the Survival Kit. Log likelihood tests were utilised to determine if the individual effects have a significant impact on LPL. Farm conditions and management were identified as major factors impacting on LPL ( P < 0.001). Other factors significantly ( P < 0.001) associated with LPL were leg soundness score, age at first farrowing, and litter size at first farrowing. The better the leg score, the younger age at first farrowing, and the larger litter at first farrowing, the longer sows tended to remain in the herd from the present. Although sows born in litters first, second, and sixth parities had slightly greater risk of being culled when compared with sows born in litters from the other parities, the effect was not statistically significant. Sufficient genetic variation exists in the population evaluated in this study for LPL (h² = 0.25), such that it will be possible to improve LPL through traditional selection methods in an efficient breeding programme. Thus, there are many factors which impact on LPL, and possibilities to improve all of them should be considered in order to improve the economics and animal welfare of modern pork production operations.     

A Variation of the Method of Translation to Generate Bivariate and Multivariate Survival Distributions with Competing Risk or Reliability Applications

In the present paper, a variation of the methode of translation is discussed to generate bivariate or multivariate survival distributions starting a given bivariate or multivariate distribution which is not necessarily a life distribution. The new distribution has been called the dual of the given distribution. The duals of several bivariate and multivariate famílies of distributions are obtained, such as FRECHET'S , FARLIE -GUMBEL -MORGENSTERN'S , MARDIA'S and PLACKETT'S , among others. A necessary and sufficient condition is given for a bivariate distribution to be its own dual. Thus the present paper generates several survival distributions in addition to what are already available in the literature. These have important applications in competing risk theory or reliability of engineering systems.     

The effect of intra- and interspecific aggression on patch residence time in Negev Desert gerbils: a competing risk analysis

We observed patch-use behavior by two gerbil species in a fieldsetting and investigated how aggression and intrinsic decision-makinginteract to influence patch residence times. Results were interpretedby using a competing risk analysis model, which uniquely enabledus to estimate the intrinsic patch-leaving decisions independentlyof external interruptions of foraging bouts by aggression. Theexperiment was conducted in two 1-ha field enclosures completelysurrounded by rodent-proof fences and included allopatric (onlyGerbillus andersoni allenbyi) and sympatric (G. a. allenbyiand G. pyramidum) treatments. We predicted that increased foodpatch quality (i.e., habitat quality) should decrease intrinsicpatch-leaving rates and increase rates of aggressive interactionsinvolving the forager feeding in the patch (i.e., the occupantindividual). We also anticipated that increasing populationdensity should result in an increase in the rate of aggressiveinteractions involving the occupant individual. Our resultssupported the first two predictions, indicating a trade-offbetween foraging and aggression. However, the third predictionwas realized only for G. a. allenbyi in allopatry. Furthermore,in allopatry, occupant G. a. allenbyi individuals with highcompetitive ranks were involved in aggressive interactions atlower rates than those with low competitive ranks. However,in sympatry, patch-use behavior of occupant G. a. allenbyi individualswas mainly influenced by aggressive behavior of G. pyramidum,which did not respond to their competitive rank. Thus, it shouldpay less for G. a. allenbyi to be aggressive in sympatric populations.The observed reduction in intraspecific aggression among individualG. a. allenbyi in the presence of G. pyramidum supports thisassertion. We suggest that this reduction likely weakens thenegative effect of intra- and interspecific density on the percapita growth rate of G. a. allenbyi. Because this would changethe slope of the isocline of G. a. allenbyi, it could be animportant mechanism promoting coexistence when habitat selectionis constrained.     

Comparison of piecewise Weibull baseline survival models for estimation of true and functional longevity in Brown cattle raised in small herds

Piecewise Weibull proportional hazard models were used to investigate the effect of genetic and nongenetic factors on functional and true longevity traits of the Slovenian Brown cattle breed. Records of 37 908 Brown cows from 2401 Slovenian herds were used. As these herds were characterised by a relatively small average herd size starting from 6.7 in 1999 and increasing to 8.7 Brown cows per herd in 2008, milk yield classification was made within different herd size groups. The hazard rate was the lowest in the first part of each lactation and was increasing for later stages. Culling risk was lower for cows from herds increasing in size, for cows with higher milk production and for cows from a region with smaller herd sizes and tougher conditions for cattle breeding. The latter result is surprising and may be related to better attention to maintain the animals, despite their lower milk production. The introduction of the milk quota system and drought was found to have an important effect on culling policy between the last seasons of the years 2001 and 2003. Seasonal effects were not related to the milk quota year (from April to March), but to the effect of shortage in fodder during the winter time. The effect of age at first calving and the interaction between year and milk yield class were not found to be significant. Heritability for functional and for true longevity were similar at around 10% each. Inclusion of a correction for class of milk yield to approximate functional longevity increased the herd-year random effect variance by 53%, whereas the sire variance increased by only 14%. The correlation coefficient between ranks of breeding values for functional and true longevity was high (0.91), whereas genetic trends were not found to be significant. To assess their predictive ability, models were compared looking at the survival rate of 4212 second-crop daughters not included in the initial models. The average correlation between estimated breeding values and survival at different stages was 0.39 for true longevity and 0.43 for functional longevity. Results showed that ranking milk yield at population level is appropriate to correct for voluntary culling on low production in small herds.     

Integrated genetic analyses revealed novel human longevity loci and reduced risks of multiple diseases in a cohort study of 15,651 Chinese individuals

There is growing interest in studying the genetic contributions to longevity, but limited relevant genes have been identified. In this study, we performed a genetic association study of longevity in a total of 15,651 Chinese individuals. Novel longevity loci, BMPER (rs17169634; p = 7.91 × 10⁻¹⁵) and TMEM43/XPC (rs1043943; p = 3.59 × 10⁻⁸), were identified in a case–control analysis of 11,045 individuals. BRAF (rs1267601; p = 8.33 × 10⁻¹⁵) and BMPER (rs17169634; p = 1.45 × 10⁻¹⁰) were significantly associated with life expectancy in 12,664 individuals who had survival status records. Additional sex‐stratified analyses identified sex‐specific longevity genes. Notably, sex‐differential associations were identified in two linkage disequilibrium blocks in the TOMM40/APOE region, indicating potential differences during meiosis between males and females. Moreover, polygenic risk scores and Mendelian randomization analyses revealed that longevity was genetically causally correlated with reduced risks of multiple diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and arthritis. Finally, we incorporated genetic markers, disease status, and lifestyles to classify longevity or not‐longevity groups and predict life span. Our predictive models showed good performance (AUC = 0.86 for longevity classification and explained 19.8% variance of life span) and presented a greater predictive efficiency in females than in males. Taken together, our findings not only shed light on the genetic contributions to longevity but also elucidate correlations between diseases and longevity.     

A risk signature-based on metastasis-associated genes to predict survival of patients with osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary solid malignant bone tumor, and its metastasis is a prominent cause of high mortality in patients. In this study, a prognosis risk signature was constructed based on metastasis-associated genes. Four microarrays datasets with clinical information were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus, and 256 metastasis-associated genes were identified by limma package. Further, a protein-protein interaction network was constructed, and survival analysis was performed using data from the Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments data matrix, identifying 19 genes correlated with prognosis. Six genes were selected by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression for multivariate cox analysis. Finally, a three-gene (MYC, CPE, and LY86) risk signature was constructed, and datasets GSE21257 and GSE16091 were used to validate the prediction efficiency of the signature. The survival times of low- and high-risk groups were significantly different in the training set and validation set. Additionally, gene set enrichment analysis revealed that the genes in the signature may affect the cell cycle, gap junctions, and interleukin-6 production. Therefore, the three-gene survival risk signature could potentially predict the prognosis of patients with OS. Further, proteins encoded by CPE and LY86 may provide novel insights into the prediction of OS prognosis and therapeutic targets.     

Quantifying uncertainty in predictions of invasiveness, with emphasis on weed risk assessment

Using the Australian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) model as an example, we applied a combination of bootstrapping and Bayesian techniques as a means of explicitly estimating the posterior probability of weediness as a function of an import risk assessment model screening score. Our approach provides estimates of uncertainty around model predictions, after correcting for verification bias arising from the original training dataset having a higher proportion of weed species than would be the norm, and incorporates uncertainty in current knowledge of the prior (base-rate) probability of weediness. The results confirm the high sensitivity of the posterior probability of weediness to the base-rate probability of weediness of plants proposed for importation, and demonstrate how uncertainty in this base-rate probability manifests itself in uncertainty surrounding predicted probabilities of weediness. This quantitative estimate of the weediness probability posed by taxa classified using the WRA model, including estimates of uncertainty around this probability for a given WRA score, would enable bio-economic modelling to contribute to the decision process, should this avenue be pursued. Regardless of whether or not this avenue is explored, the explicit estimates of uncertainty around weed classifications will enable managers to make better informed decisions regarding risk. When viewed in terms of likelihood of weed introduction, the current WRA model outcomes of ‘accept’, ‘further evaluate’ or ‘reject’, whilst not always accurate in terms of weed classification, appear consistent with a high-expected cost of mistakenly introducing a weed. The methods presented have wider application to the quantitative prediction of invasive species for situations where the base-rate probability of invasiveness is subject to uncertainty, and the accuracy of the screening test imperfect.     

Consequences of mating and predation risk for longevity in a freshwater snail: abstinence makes the heart beat longer

Senescence is not a static property of an individual or population, but rather it is a dynamic process that may be influenced by environmental conditions. This can occur in at least two ways: in the long‐term across multiple generations, and in the short‐term via phenotypic plasticity. The former has attracted a lot of attention, both theoretically and empirically; the latter has lagged behind. To determine whether two important environmental variables (predation risk and mate availability) affect the pattern of actuarial senescence (i.e. the increase in mortality with age), we reared 30 full‐sib families of the simultaneously hermaphroditic freshwater snail Physa acuta under four different environmental conditions and tracked individuals until death. Individuals were reared in a 2×2 factorial experiment that manipulated the nonlethal presence of chemical cues from predatory crayfish (presence/absence) and the opportunity to mate with an unrelated partner (mated/not mated). Snails that receive a partner reproduce by outcrossing, whereas those that remain in isolation can reproduce by self‐fertilization. We compared the cumulative survival curves to test for an effect of predation risk and mating. The hazard ratio (HR) for the predation risk comparison was 1.042 indicating no significant difference between the curves. However, the HR for the mating comparison was 4.021, reflecting a significant reduction in survival probability for mated snails relative to isolated snails. As such, mating resulted in a much shorter lifespan, an outcome that we interpret in terms of shifting resource allocation.     

A review of machine learning applications in soccer with an emphasis on injury risk

This narrative review paper aimed to discuss the literature on machine learning applications in soccer with an emphasis on injury risk assessment. A secondary aim was to provide practical tips for the health and performance staff in soccer clubs on how machine learning can provide a competitive advantage. Performance analysis is the area with the majority of research so far. Other domains of soccer science and medicine with machine learning use are injury risk assessment, players’ workload and wellness monitoring, movement analysis, players’ career trajectory, club performance, and match attendance. Regarding injuries, which is a hot topic, machine learning does not seem to have a high predictive ability at the moment (models specificity ranged from 74.2%-97.7%. sensitivity from 15.2%-55.6% with area under the curve of 0.66–0.83). It seems, though, that machine learning can help to identify the early signs of elevated risk for a musculoskeletal injury. Future research should account for musculoskeletal injuries’ dynamic nature for machine learning to provide more meaningful results for practitioners in soccer.     

Quantitative analysis of sarcosine with special emphasis on biosensors: a review

The quantitative determination of sarcosine is of great importance in clinical chemistry, food and fermentation industries. Elevated sarcosine levels are associated with Alzheimer, dementia, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, stomach cancer and sarcosinemia. This review summarizes the various methods for quantitative analysis of sarcosine with special emphasis on various strategies of biosensors and their analytical performance. The current bio sensing methods have overcome the drawbacks of conventional methods. Sarcosine biosensors work optimally at pH 7.0 to 8.0 in the linear range of 0.1 to 100?μM within 2 to 17?s and between 25 and 37?°C, within a limit of detection (LOD) between 0.008 and 500?mM. The formulated biosensors can be reused within a stability period of 3–180?days. Future research could be focused to modify existing sarcosine biosensors, leading to simple, reliable, and economical sensors ideally suited for point-of-care treatment.

• Clinical significance

• Elevated sarcosine levels are associated with prostate and colorectal cancer, Alzheimer, dementia, stomach cancer and sarcosinemia.

• Quantitative determination of sarcosine is of great importance in clinical chemistry as well as food and fermentation industries.

• Attempts made in development of sarcosine biosensors have been reviewed with their advantages and disadvantages, so that scientist and clinicians can improvise the methods of developing more potent sarcosine biosensor applicable in multitudinous fields.

• This is the first comprehensive review which compares the various immobilization methods, sensing principles, strategies used in biosensors and their analytical performance in detail.

     

Diversity and biogeography of selected phyllosphere bacteria with special emphasis on Methylobacterium spp

On the basis of cultivation-dependent (isolation on mineral salt medium supplemented with 0.5% methanol) and -independent (DGGE analysis) methods, we investigated the influence of the host plant species Trifolium repens and Cerastium holosteoides, three geographic locations and the land-use types meadow, mown pasture and pasture on the abundance and community composition of selected phyllosphere bacteria with emphasis on Methylobacterium species. Methylobacterium abundance was significantly higher on leaves of T. repens (mean value 2.0×10(7) CFU PPFM per g leaf) than on leaves of C. holosteoides (mean value 2.0×10(6) CFU per g leaf). Leaves from the sampling site Schorfheide-Chorin showed slightly lower Methylobacterium numbers than leaves of the other sampling sites. Land-use and sampling period had no consistent influence on Methylobacterium community size. Methylobacterium community composition was very similar over both sampling periods, all three sampling sites, all land-use types and both plant species. Moreover, no relationship between geographic and genetic distance was observed. Community composition of selected Proteobacteria was influenced by plant species, geographic location and land-use. Often, differences in community composition could be observed between meadows, mown pastures and pastures but not between different kinds of meadows (cutted once versus three times) and mown pastures (fertilized versus non-fertilized). The results also indicate, that whether there are differences between land-use types or not strongly depends on the investigated host plant species and ecosystem. Besides Methylobacterium, representatives of Methylophilus were detected. The results indicate that Methylobacterium species are generally abundant and stable members of the phyllosphere community whereas other genera occur more occasionally, and that Methylobacterium clearly dominates the methylotrophic phyllosphere community.     

Effects of temperature on development,survival, longevity,and fecundity of Serangium japonicum (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), a predator of Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae)

In this study, we evaluated the effect of temperature on the development and reproductive biology of Serangium japonicum (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) at seven constant temperature regimes (17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 32 and 35°C) for its effect as a predator of Bemisia tabaci (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae). Results indicated that the duration of the egg, larval and pupal stages were significantly affected by temperature. The developmental time gradually declined with the increase of temperature from 17 to 29°C, however an extension in the developmental periods was observed in the temperature range of 32 to 35°C. The survival rates of different insect stages were stable at temperatures between 20 and 32°C; however at extreme temperatures of 35°C, a sharp decrease was evident. The highest fecundity of the female (387.2 eggs per female) was recorded at 20°C. Based on these results, life tables of S. japonicum were constructed for temperatures in the range 20–35°C. The maximum reproductive rate (R ₀=279.9) occurred at 26°C. The maximum values for innate capacity for increase (r _m=0.1131) and the finite rate of increase (λ=1.1197) occurred at 29°C. The mean generation time (T) decreased with increased temperature, the longest of which was 76.0 days (at 20°C) and the shortest was 36.6 days (at 32°C). These results offer valuable insight on the importation and establishment of S. japonicum into new environments with diverse temperature regimes.     

Assessment of heavy metal in the water,sediment, and two edible fish species of Jamshedpur Urban Agglomeration,India with special emphasis on human health risk

The city of Jamshedpur, nicknamed the “industrial capital of Jharkhand,” is one of the oldest industrial settlements in India, nestled amidst the mineral-rich Chota Nagpur plateau, with its diverse tribal population. Heavy metal contamination from industrialization and urbanization can pose a serious health risk to the resident population of the city. Metal concentrations in water and sediment of various water bodies (rivers, canals, and lakes) were determined using ICP-MS. Pollution indices indicate heavy metal contamination at Jamshedpur Urban Agglomeration, mainly because of Cr (23–1111.6 mg/kg), Hg (0.08–4.11 mg/kg), and Pb (5.2–248 mg/kg). Labeo rohita and Punitus sarara, the two popular edible fishes, also have high concentration of Cr, Hg, and Pb. Health risk to human population due to consumption of metal contaminated edible fishes (L. rohita and P. sarara) was determined by target hazard quotient (THQ) and hazard index (HI). THQ value of fish consumption (most popular protein supplement in the area) was found higher for Cr and Pb when compared with previous literature on fish consumption. Also, HI value ranged from 1.4 to 3.9, suggesting that the children have higher health risks than adults, due to consumption of metal contaminated fishes (especially L. rohita).     

Fine mapping of porcine SSC14 QTL and SCD gene effects on fatty acid composition and melting point of fat in a Duroc purebred population

The stearoyl-CoA desaturase (delta-9-desaturase; SCD) gene is a candidate gene for fatty acid composition. It is located on pig SSC14 in a region where quantitative trait loci (QTL) for fatty acid composition were previously detected in a Duroc purebred population. The objective of the present study was to fine map the QTL, to identify polymorphisms of the pig SCD gene and to examine the effects of SCD polymorphisms on fatty acid composition and melting point of fat in the population. The pigs were examined for fatty acid composition and melting point of inner and outer subcutaneous fat and inter- and intramuscular fat; the number of pigs examined was 479-521. Two SNPs (g.-353C>T and g.-233T>C) were identified in the promoter region of the SCD gene and were completely linked in the pigs from the base generation. In all pigs, 19 microsatellite markers and SCD haplotypes were then genotyped. Different statistical models were applied to evaluate the effects of QTL and the possible causality of the SCD gene variants with respect to the QTL. The results show that all significant QTL for C14:0, C18:0, C18:1 and melting point of fat were detected in the same region, located near the SCD gene. The results also show a significant association between SCD haplotypes and fatty acid composition and fat melting point in this population. These results indicate that the haplotype of the SCD gene has a strong effect on fatty acid composition and melting point of fat.     

Effects of a quantitative trait locus for increased muscularity on carcass traits measured by subjective conformation and fat class scores and video image analysis in crossbred lambs

A quantitative trait locus (QTL) for increased loin muscularity (TM-QTL) has previously been identified in purebred Texel sheep. Crossbred lambs born out of Mule ewes mated to heterozygous Texel sires for the TM-QTL were evaluated for a range of carcass traits. Lambs were genotyped and classified as carriers (n = 62) of a single copy of the TM-QTL and non-carriers (n = 49). In this study, the effects of the TM-QTL on carcass attributes were investigated using subjective classification scores for conformation and fatness, and measurements from a video image analysis (VIA) system. In addition, refined prediction equations to estimate weights of primal joints (leg, chump, loin, breast and shoulder) were obtained by calibrating the VIA system against computer tomography (CT) measurements in the loin region. The new refined prediction models increased the accuracy of prediction of all primal cuts on an average of 16% compared to previously derived standard VIA prediction equations. The coefficient of determination (R2) of the VIA system to predict in vivo CT measurements ranged from 0.39 to 0.72 for measurements of Musculus longissimus lumborum (MLL) area, width and depth, lumbar spine length, loin muscle volume and loin muscularity index. Using VIA estimates of CT-measured loin muscle traits, a significant increase in depth (+2.7%) of the MLL was found to be associated with the TM-QTL. Conformation and fatness scores and the shape of the carcass measured as individual lengths, widths and areas by VIA were not significantly influenced by the TM-QTL. Primal meat yields estimated using both standard and refined VIA prediction equations were not significantly affected by the TM-QTL. However, carcass 'compactness' was found to have significantly increased in carrier lambs. The weight of the dissected MLL estimated using VIA information was greater (+2.6%) for carriers compared to non-carriers. To conclude, neither the current industry carcass evaluation system for conformation and fatness nor the standard VIA system is able to identify the effect of the TM-QTL in the loin region in the moment. However, the calibration of the VIA system against CT measurements resulted in improved VIA prediction equations for primal meat yields and also showed moderate potential to estimate loin muscle traits measured by CT and to detect, partially, the effect of the TM-QTL on these traits.     

Genetic correlation of longevity with growth, post-mortem, docility and some morphological traits in the Pirenaica beef cattle breed

Survival or longevity is an economically relevant trait in cattle. However, it is not currently included in cattle selection criteria because of the delayed recording of phenotypic data and the high computational demand of survival techniques under proportional hazard models. The identification of longevity-correlated traits that can be early registered in lifetime would therefore be very useful for beef cattle selection processes. The aim of this study was to estimate the genetic correlation of survival (SURV) with: growth - birth weight (BW), weight at 120 days (W120), weight at 210 days (W210); carcass - cold carcass weight (CCW), conformation (CON), fatness (FAT) and meat colour (COL); teat morphology - teat thickness (TT), teat length (TL) and udder depth (UD); leg morphology - forward (FL) and backward legs (BL); milk production (MILK) and docility (DOC). In the statistical analysis, SURV was measured in discrete-time intervals and modelled via a sequential threshold model. A series of independent bivariate Bayesian analyses between cow survival and each recorded trait were carried out. The posterior mean estimates (and posterior standard deviation) for the heritability of SURV was 0.05 (0.01); and for the relevant genetic correlations with SURV were 0.07 (0.04), 0.12 (0.05), 0.10 (0.05), 0.15 (0.05), -0.18 (0.06), 0.33 (0.06) and 0.27 (0.15) for BW, W120, W210, CCW, CON, FAT and COL, respectively.