Fine‑tuning genomic and pedigree inbreeding rates in equine population with a deep and reliable stud book:the case of the Pura Raza Española horse

Background:Estimating inbreeding,which is omnipresent and inevitable in livestock populations,is a primary goal for management and animal breeding especially for those interested in mitigating the negative consequences of inbreeding.Inbreeding coefficients have been historically estimated by using pedigree information;however,over the last decade,genome-base inbreeding coefficients have come to the forefront in this field.The Pura Raza Espanola(PRE)horse is an autochthonous Spanish horse breed which has been recognised since 1912.The total PRE population(344,718 horses)was used to estimate Classical(F),Ballou’s ancestral,Kalinowski’s ancestral,Kalinowski’s new and the ancestral history coefficient values.In addition,genotypic data from a selected population of 805 PRE individuals was used to determine the individual inbreeding coefficient using SNP-by-SNP-based techniques(methods of moments-FHOM-,the diagonal elements of the genomic-FG-,and hybrid matrixes-FH-)and ROH measures(FRZ).The analyse of both pedigree and genomic based inbreeding coefficients in a large and robust population such as the PRE horse,with proven parenteral information for the last 40 years and a high degree of completeness(over 90%for the last 70 years)will allow us to understand PRE genetic variability better and the correlations between the estimations will give the data greater reliability.Results:The mean values of the pedigree-based inbreeding coefficients ranged from 0.01(F for the last 3 generations-F3-)to 0.44(ancestral history coefficient)and the mean values of genomic-based inbreeding coefficients varied from 0.05(FRZ for three generations,FH and FHOM)to 0.11(FRZ for nine generations).Significant correlations were also found between pedigree and genomic inbreeding values,which ranged between 0.58(F3 with FHOM)and 0.79(F with FRZ).In addition,the correlations between FRZ estimated for the last 20 generations and the pedigree-based inbreeding highlight the fact that fewer generations of genomic data are required when comparing total inbreeding values,and the opposite when ancient values are calculated.Conclusions:Ultimately,our results show that it is still useful to work with a deep and reliable pedigree in pedigreebased genetic studies with very large effective population sizes.Obtaining a satisfactory parameter will always be desirable,but the approximation obtained with a robust pedigree will allow us to work more efficiently and economically than with massive genotyping.

Biomarkers of Stress and Inflammation in Assessing the Quality of Welfare of Conditioned Vaquejada Horses

In recent decades, the intensity of training and equestrian competitions has significantly increased, thus the assessment of the well-being of the equine athlete has become essential in all equestrian modalities. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether equine athletes submitted to a vaquejada simulation test (VqST), comprised of three races, presented changes in blood biomarkers related to stress and health status. Fourteen healthy Quarter Horses, used as pull horses in this equestrian modality, were evaluated. Ten animals were submitted to the VqST and the remaining four were used as a control group. Blood samples were collected pre-test (during fast), immediately after, and at 1, 4 and 24 hours of recovery. The assessed blood biomarkers included cortisol, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, iron, urea, creatinine, and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) concentrations and results were analyzed using One Way ANOVA (time) with the SigmaStat 13.0 software. No differences between sample times were detected in both groups (p > 0.05) and no differences were found between groups (p > 0.05). The results suggest that all horses were well conditioned for the level of effort imposed by the three vaquejada races. The adaptation to physical exercise may enable the regulation of the acute response to stress in the tissues involved in the exercises, with no differences being observed in stress and health biomarkers, such as IL-6, IL-1β and cortisol. In conclusion, well-conditioned vaquejada horses exhibit a balanced regulation of biological processes, which contributes an increased athletic longevity and better quality of athletic life.

The Thousand-year Journey of Chinese Tea:From the Tea-horse Ancient Road to the Tea Road

Recently,traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices in China were inscribed on the United Nations Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO)Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity after review.In ancient China.

In Tune With the Horse

A master player dedicates his life to the preservation and development of the art of morin khuur Luc Bendza,a well-known Gabonese martial artist and actor who has appeared in numerous films and television shows in China,never imagined he would fall in love with another Chinese art at the age of 53.But in early 2022,after hearing an elderly morin khuur(also known as a horsehead fiddle)musician playing a tuneful piece of music,he made the decision to learn how to play the Inner Mongolian instrument from the player.

On a Horse Again

I rode a horse called Nansi through some of the 1500 square kilometres of the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales.Nansi was a Welsh Cob and they are one of the world’s oldest types of horses and live wild in the national park.It was nearly twenty years since I had ridden a horse.

High Altitude Adaptation and Phylogenetic Analysis of Tibetan Horse Based on the Mitochondrial Genome

To investigate genetic mechanisms of high altitude adaptations of animals living in the Tibetan Plateau, three mitochondrial genomes （mt-genome） of Tibetan horses living in Naqu （4,500 m） of Tibetan, Zhongdian （3,300 m） and Deqin （3,100 m） of Yunnan province were sequenced. The structures and lengths of these three mt-genomes are similar to the Cheju horse, which is related to Tibetan horses, but little shorter than the Swedish horse. The pair-wise identity of these three horses on nucleotide level is more than 99.3%. When the gene encoding the mitochondrial protein of Tibetan horses was analyzed, we found that NADH6 has higher non-synonymous mutation rate in all of three Tibetan horses. This implies that NADH6 may play a role in Tibetan horses＇ high altitude adaptation. NADH6 is one of the subunits of the complex I in the respiratory chain. Furthermore, 7 D-loop sequences of Tibetan horse from different areas were sequenced, and the phylogeny tree was constructed to study the origin and evolutionary history of Tibetan horses. The result showed that the genetic diverse was high among Tibetan horses. All of Tibetan horses from Naqu were clustered into one clade, and Tibetan horses from Zhongdian and Deqin were clustered into others clades. The first molecular evidence of Tibetan horses indicated in this study is that Tibetan horse population might have multiple origins.

“Horse”国俗语义的英国文化考量

作为文化的载体,语言具有鲜明的民族性。语言单位,特别是词语,体现了一个民族独特的文化内涵。从昔日庞大的英帝国兴起直到现在,马在英国军事历史和英国民族的生活中都起到重要作用。基于马在英民族文化具有的独特形象意义,从马的英语语义和习语、历史文学和英国民族的体育娱乐生活三个层面探讨英国的"马文化"。

英语中的horse趣谈

在英语中，horse（马）最能反映英语民族特有的文化生活，许多与horse有关的词语有着十分独特的国俗文化内涵。英语中的horse含有“强壮”、“巨大”、“强健”等国俗语义。例如：asstrongasahorse“非常强壮”，eatlikeahorse“胃口极大”，horsepills“巨大的药丸”，toworklikeahorse“辛苦干活”，awillinghorse“埋头苦干的人”等。此外，英语中与horse相关的英语典故、成语和谚语比比皆是，使用十分频繁。

五彩缤纷的“Horse”

"horse"这种人所共知的动物经常被人赋予很多特征,并用来喻事喻人,文章对horse进行了详细的说明和分析。

Father,Son and A Horse

Once there lived a very old peasant in a village. His name was Jack.He had a horse.It was almost as old as him. One day he set off with his young son to sell the horse before it died.They walked because the father did not want the horse to be too tired. They met two neighbours (邻居)on their way.The neighbours said, "Hello,why are

如何理解“closing the barn door after the horse have escaped”?

然而,由教育部考试中心组织编写、高等教育出版社出版的《全国硕士研究生入学英语考试分析(2001年版)》对这道题的分析是:“……并且打个比喻说,马逃走了,关上马棚的大门,人们却发现骑在马上的正是这些受过教育的人他们自己。”显然,这样的分析对理解原文并不能起多少作用,读后考生仍然感到云里雾里。

Orbital decompression surgery and horse chestnut seed extract improved superior orbital vein blood flow in patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy

AIM： To evaluate the efficacy and safety of orbital decomposition （OD） surgery in combination with horse chestnut seed extract （HCSE）, as compared to OD atone, in patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy （TAO）. METHODS： Sixty-two orbits from 62 TAO patients were randomly assigned to OD or OD＋HCSE at 1：1 ratio （31 received OD alone, 31 received OD ＋HCSE）. Forty-two orbits from 21 healthy subjects were used as controls. Complete ophthalmic examination and color Doppler flow imaging （CDFI） were performed before surgery and 3mo post-surgery on all 62 orbits from the TAO patients. CDFI were also performed on the 42 control orbits, The effect of OD ＋HCSE and OD alone on TAO orbits was compared on several endpoints, including superior ophthalmic vein blood flow （SOVBF） parameters, subjective assessment, soft tissue involvement, lid retraction, diplopia, eye movement restriction, degree of exophthalmos, and intraocular pressure. The control orbits were used as reference for the SOVBF parameters. RESULTS： OD surgery with or without HCSE improved SOVBF, symptoms and soft tissue involvement, decreased degree of exophthalmos and intraocular pressure in orbits of TAO patients. The OD ＋HCSE combination led to significantly better improvement of SOVBF than OD alone. The differences between the reductions of SOVBF in the two groups are 1.26 cmls in max-volecity and 0.52 cm/s in min-voiecity （P〈0.0001）. CONCLUSION： SOVBF is significantly reduced in the orbits affected with TAO, indicating that congestion may be an important factor contributing to TAO pathogenesis. OD surgery improves the SOVBF, and combination of HCSE medication and OD surgery further improved venous return than OD surgery alone.

Redistribution and magnitude of stresses around horse shoe and circular excavations opened in anisotropic rock

In this paper numerical analysis of underground structures, taking account the transverse isotropy system of rocks, was done using CAST 3M code by varying the shape of excavation and the coefficient of earth pressure k. Numerical results reveal that the anisotropy behavior, the shape of hole and the coefficient of earth pressure k have significant influence to the mining induced stress field and rock deformations which directly control the stability of underground excavation design. The magnitude of horizontal stress obtained for the horse shoe shape excavation(25.2 MPa for k = 1; 52.7 MPa for k = 2)is lower than the magnitude obtained for circular hole(26.4 MPa for k = 1; 59.5 MPa for k = 2).Therefore, we have concluded that the horse shoe shape offers the best stability and the best design for engineer. The anisotropy system presented by rock mass can also influence the redistribution of stresses around hole opened. Numerical results have revealed that the magnitude of redistribution of horizontal stresses obtained for transverse isotropic rock(12.1 MPa for k = 0.5; 25.2 MPa for k = 1 and52.7 MPa for k = 2) is less than those obtained in the case of isotropic rock(27.6 MPa for k = 1;48.6 MPa for k = 2 and 90.81 MPa for k = 2). The more the rock has the anisotropic behavior, the more the mass of rock around the tunnel is stable.

Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Parasites of Horses and Donkeys in and around Gondar Town, Ethiopia

A cross sectional study was conducted from October 2010 to June 2011 in and around Gondar town to identify the species and determine prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in donkeys and horses. Gross examination, direct fecal smear, sedimentation and floatation techniques were utilized to identify the eggs and larvae of parasites in feces. A total of 384 horses and donkeys were examined for gastrointestinal parasites. The overall prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites was 92.71% (356 from 384) with 80.95% (85 from 105) and 97.13% (271 from 279) in horses and donkeys, respectively. Prevalence of Strongyle, Parascaris equorum, Oxyuris equi, Gastrodiscus aegyptiacus and Gastrophilus intestinalis was 66.67%, 43.8%, 0.95%, 2.86%, and 0.95%, respectively in horses. Prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites was 87.81%, 42.29%, 4.30%, 5.73%, 1.43%, 3.58% and 0.72% for Strongyles, Parascaris equorum, Oxyuris equi, Fasciola, Tricuris, Gastrodiscus aegyptiacus and Gastrophilus intestinalis in donkeys, respectively. There was a statisticcally significant difference between species, housing and among feed types in prevalence of equine gastrointestinal parasites

Effects of Motivation and Demography on the Quantitative Plausibility of the Trojan Horse Defence Against Possession of Child Pornography

The Enhanced Complexity Model( ECM) developed previously has been further extended to produce a Motivationally Enhanced Complexity Model( MECM) which enables the degree of motivation,capability and opportunity of a hypothetical Trojan Horse author to be included in quantifying the relative plausibility of competing explanations for the existence of uncontested digital evidence.This new model has been applied to the case of the Trojan Horse defence( THD) against the possession of child pornography.Our results demonstrate that the THD in this case cannot be plausibly sustained unless it can be shown that an ‘off-theshelf'( OTS) Trojan Horse for this task is available and it is not detectable by the target computer,at the material time.

A Therapeutic Sheep in Metastatic Wolf’s Clothing: Trojan Horse Approach for Cancer Brain Metastases Treatment

Early-stage brain metastasis of breast cancer(BMBC), due to the existence of an intact blood–brain barrier(BBB), is one of the deadliest neurologic complications. To improve the efficacy of chemotherapy for BMBC, a Trojan horse strategy-based nanocarrier has been developed by integrating the cell membrane of a brain-homing cancer cell and a polymeric drug depot. With the camouflage of a MDA-MB-231/Br cell membrane, doxorubicin-loaded poly(D, L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticle(DOX-PLGA@CM) shows enhanced cellular uptake and boosted killing potency for MDA-MB-231/Br cells. Furthermore, DOX-PLGA@CM is equipped with naturally selected molecules for BBB penetration, as evidenced by its boosted capacity in entering the brain of both healthy and early-stage BMBC mouse models. Consequently, DOX-PLGA@CM effectively reaches the metastatic tumor lesions in the brain, slows down cancer progression, reduces tumor burden, and extends the survival time for the BMBC animal.Furthermore, the simplicity and easy scale-up of the design opens a new window for the treatment of BMBC and other brain metastatic cancers.

Functional Microvascular Anatomy of the Horse Eye: A Scanning Electron Microscopic Study of Corrosion Casts

Objective: This study presents the microvasculature of the horse iris, ciliary process, retina, and choroid and discusses the functional significance of the vasculature. Procedure: Seven horses were used for this study. The ocular vascular system was injected with methylmethacrylate resin via the carotid artery, and the vascular corrosion casts were observed using a scanning electron microscope. Results: The iridial vessels showed a wavy course. The ciliary process was supplied by 2 arterial routes: the iridial and ciliary arterial circles. The subjects displayed a paurangiotic retina with retinal vessels extending only a short distance around the disc. The retinal arterioles and venules ran in closely related pairs, and the capillaries formed hairpin loops. No central retinal artery was seen in the equine eyes examined. The choriocapillaris in the avascular retina was arranged in honeycomb hexagon lobules and formed a more densely packed network than that in the vascular retina. There were 2 distinct venous drainage systems in the horse choroid: the vortex veins and the posterior ciliary veins. The vortex vein ampulla was flattened and showed a slit-like lumen at the merge site with the ophthalmic vein. The vortex veins demonstrated a marked constriction before leaving the eye. Discussion: The 2 choroidal drainage systems may compensate each other in event of occlusion. The ampulla and the constriction in the vortex veins may act as a valve regulating the blood flow to keep the eye at an optimum size and the intraocular pressure within the normal physiological range.

A comparative evaluation of methicillin-resistant staphylococci isolated from harness racing-horses,breeding mares and riding-horses in Italy

Objective:To investigate the prevalence of methicillin-resistant staphylococci(MRS)which is a potencial risk factor of transmission between animals and humans in different types of horses(harness racing-horses,breeding mares and riding-horses)and to compare the antimicrobial resistance of the isolates.Methods:A total of 191 healthy horses,housed at different locations of the Campania Region(Italy),were included in the study.Nasal swab samples were collected from each nostril of the horses.The mecA gene was detected by a nested PCR technique.Antibiotic susceptibility was tested for each isolate.Results:MRS was isolated from nasal samples of 68/191(35.6%;95%CI:28.9%-42.9%)healthy horses.All isolates were coagulase-negative with the exception of two coagulase-positive MRS strains,identified as Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus pseudintermedius.2/83(2.4%;95%,CI:0.4%-9.2%).Interestingly,both coagulase-positive MRS isolates were from harness racing-horses.These horses also presented a significantly higher positivity for MRS(53.3%;95%CI:40.1%-66.1%)than the breeding mares and riding-horses groups.Antibiotic susceptibility testing showed difference between isolates due to different origins except for an almost common high resistance to aminopenicillins,such as ampicillin and amoxicillin.Conclusions:It can be concluded that harness racing-horses may act as a significant reservoir of MRS as compared to breeding mares and riding-horses.

Reproduction and Mortality of Re-introduced Przewalski＇s Horse Equus przewalskii in Hustai National Park, Mongolia

The reproduction rate of Equus przewalskii in this study increased from year to year showing that the wild horses have already felt comfortable in the new environment and became acclimatized successfully. Of the mares which were born in Hustai National Park and successfully reached reproductive age, 24.7% first gave birth at age 3 and 55.6% of them first gave birth at age 4. The most effective age range within the breeding population was 5 to 15, 25%-89% of them giving birth and an average during 2002-2011 of 72.9%. Of the Przewalski＇s horses which died, 65% were foals, 9.4% subadult male, 7.7% subadult female, 7.2% adult male and 10.6% were adult females. Causes of mortality differed by age and sex although wolf attacks accounted for the predominant number of deaths among foals and subadults. Stallions usually died of bad condition and injuries but parturition problems were common causes of death among mares. The mortality rate of foals （40% in 1993-2011） is a matter of great concern since foals born in Hustai National Park are the only gain component now after the active reintroduction period came to an end. A total of 109 foals were killed by wolves in 1993-2011 but 52% of them were younger than one month.

Economic Impact of the Horse Industry： A Special Reference to Spain

The economy of the equestrian sector encompasses all the activities related to the equine world. All activities revolving around the use of a horse as entertainment, sport or business play a role in the ＂horse industry＂. These activities take place due to the existence of people demanding horses and a variety of goods and services associated with them Previous studies reveal that as income per capita becomes larger, the equestrian demand increases and, consequently, the global expenditure incurred by those individuals interested in horses. More than 500,000 horse, 9,000 breeders and 50,000 equestrian businesses, show the economic importance of the equestrian sector in Spain. That part of global expenditure that adds to the GDP of a country is what is generally defined as economic impact of the sector. Its relation will depend mostly on： the percentage of the expenditure that adds to national production and the participation in the country＇s global expenditure of those domestic goods and services associated with the equestrian demand. The activities related to sports are those with most economic impact, about 8,000 ∈ per horse, measured as total expenditure or with respect to the employment that they generate in the economy.