A high level of extra-pair paternity in the Chestnut Thrush(Turdus rubrocanus)

Extra-pair copulation(EPC)can potentially maximize individual reproductive fitness,and this process may involve sexual selection of male and female traits that reflect individual quality.Previous studies have implied that adult characteristics are associated with the probability of extra-pair paternity(EPP),but it differs between species.Moreover,there are relatively few examples of the adaptive rationale for females’engagement in EPCs based on an examination of these more traditionally recorded traits,in combination with female flight-mediated traits such as wing length.We investigated whether EPP existed in the wild Chestnut Thrush(Turdus rubrocanus)population during three breeding seasons(2019–2021),and whether paternity was related to morphological traits of males and females.Eight highly variable microsatellite loci were used to identify paternity,and generalized linear mixed models were used to analyze the relationship between paternity and morphological traits.We found that EPP existed in the Chestnut Thrush.53.3%(N=41/77)of the broods contained at least one extra-pair offspring(EPO),and 34.6%(N=72/208)of the nestlings were EPO.We also found that male wing length was negatively associated with the probability of EPP and the proportion of EPO.Female body length was positively related to the probability of EPP.Both female body condition and mass were negatively associated with the proportion of EPO.While other traits of male and female did not relate to the probability of EPP or the proportion of EPO.Extra-pair males had better body condition compared to the males they cuckolded.EPO did not differ from their half-siblings in terms of body size or body condition.The results suggest that body size and body condition were associated with EPP in the Chestnut Thrush.This study provides fundamental information for further studies on the evolution and maintenance of EPP in the Chestnut Thrush,and it is also useful for the comparison of EPP among Turdus species.

The Paternal Mental Health, Difficulties for Fathers with Children in Early Infancy, and Their Educational Support Needs

Purpose: The purpose is to identify what difficulties fathers have with the roles of fatherhood during pregnancy and early infancy, and to make apparent what their educational support needs are. Methods: This study follows a qualitative descriptive design. The subjects were new first-time fathers of Japanese nationality. Subjects participated in semi-structured interviews administered according to interview guidelines. Results: There were 15 subjects in total. The average age of the subjects’ children was 5.5 months. Fathers’ difficulties with their new roles were abstracted in to five main categories: < Difficulties during early engagement with child >, < Difficulties related to child crying >, < Difficulties arising after getting through the early engagement stage >, < Difficulties related to support of partner >, and < Mental burdens associated with childrearing >. Additionally, the types of support fathers requested to help maintain their mental health after the birth of their infants were abstracted into three main categories: < Support with childcare knowledge/acquiring skills >, < Support in building a positive marital relationship >, and < Support in maintaining own mental health >. Conclusions: 1) The stress experienced by fathers from the birth of their child through early infancy, originating in two elements of fatherhood (engagement with the child and spousal support), placed a great mental burden upon them in a multi-layered structure;2) The support that needs fathers expressed to maintain their mental health pre- and postpartum is based on the difficulties they experienced with paternal roles;3) There is a disparity between the needs of fathers expressed through the results of this study and current paternal support practices in Japan. The supplementation and revision of existing paternal support practices is an issue that merits further consideration. Furthermore, the existing group interview method suffers from low attendance, and attending has become increasingly difficult due to the COVID-19 pandemic spreading throughout Japan. It is necessary to consider alternative methods of educational support moving forward.

Paternò-Büchi反应的区域选择性

Paternò-Büchi(P-B)反应,即羰基-烯的[2+2]光环化加成反应,利用其特殊的区域及立体选择性可以合成一些结构精巧的取代氧杂环丁烷。随着P-B反应在有机合成中越来越广泛的应用,人们对P-B反应的区域选择性的研究也越来越深入。在P-B反应发现之初,人们一直用“最稳定的双自由基规则”解释其区域选择性,这一规则对有些体系却不适用,近年来有人开始运用“自旋化学”理论来解释区域选择性。本论文结合作者的研究工作,评述了近年来P-B反应的区域选择性的研究进展,重点阐述了反应温度、反应物的取代基对P-B反应区域选择性的影响及其规律。

Establishment of paternity testing system using microsatellite markers in Chinese Holstein

To estimate the efficiency of microsatellite markers in paternity testing among Chinese Holstein, 30 microsatellite loci were used to differentiate 330 Chinese Holstein genotypes, according to the calculation of the allele frequency, number of alleles, effective number of alleles, genetic heterozygosity, polymorphic information content （PIC）, and the exclusion probability in this cattle population. The results demonstrated that the exclusion probability ranged from 0.620 in locus BM1818 to 0.265 in locus INRA005 with the average of 0.472 and 11 microsatellite markers exceeding 0.5. The combined exclusion probability of nine microsatellite markers was over 0.99. The result showed that paternity testing of Chinese Holstein was basically resolved using the nine microsatellite markers selected.

Developmental Toxicity in Mice Following Paternal Exposure to Di-N-Butyl-Phthalate (DBP)

Objective The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of paternal Di‐N‐butyl‐phthalate （DBP） exposure pre‐ and postnatally on F1 generation offspring,and prenatally on F2 generation offspring.Methods Male mice were exposed to either 500 mg/kg or 2 000 mg/kg of DBP for 8 weeks,and mated with non‐exposed females.Three‐quarters of the females were sacrificed a day prior to parturition,and examined for the number of living and dead implantations,and incidence of gross malformations.Pups from the remaining females were assessed for developmental markers,growth parameters,as well as sperm quantity and quality.Results There were no changes in the fertility of parents and in intrauterine development of the offspring.Pups of DBP‐exposed males demonstrated growth‐retardation.Following paternal exposure to 500 mg/kg bw of DBP,there were almost twice the number of males than females born in the F1 generation.F1 generation females had a 2.5‐day delay in vaginal opening.Paternal exposure to 2 000 mg/kg bw of DBP increased the incidence of sperm head malformations in F1 generation males;however,there were no changes in the fertility and viability of foetuses in the F2 generation.Conclusion Paternal DBP exposure may disturb the sex ratio of the offspring,delay female sexual maturation,and deteriorate the sperm quality of F1 generation males.

Genetic Analysis of Multiple Paternity in an Endangered Ovoviviparous Lizard Shinisaurus crocodilurus

The crocodile lizard （Shinisaurus croeodilurus） is an ovoviviparoug lizard belonging to a monotypic family that originated during the end of the quaternary ice age. A rare species in the wild, the crocodile lizard was listed in CITES Appendix II. Knowledge of the reproductive biology and mating system of this species is important for designing conservation strategies and improving genetic variation. To investigate the paternity of the crocodile lizards and to interpret their reproductive behaviour, we collected saliva from females, potential fathers and offspring in a semi- natural enclosure experiment and analyzed the paternity of the crocodile lizard using 12 microsatellite genetic loci. The overall observed incidence of multiple paternity was 42.9% （6 of 14 clutches） and Fis was 0.089 ± 0.056. These results indicate that the primary mating mode of the crocodile lizard is that males are polygynous while with females are polyandrous, and there is multiple paternity among offspring of the same mother.

High level of extra-pair paternity in the socially monogamous Marsh Tits(Poecile palustris)

Background:Extra-pair copulation behavior has been widely studied among socially monogamous birds.Many species revealed high rates of extra-pair paternity.But few of the studies have been carried out in the Asian population.Methods:From 2012 to 2019,we explored the extra-pair paternity of Marsh Tits(Poecile palustris)in Xianrendong National Nature Reserve,Liaoning Province,China.During the study,adult Marsh Tits were captured with mist nets and parental birds,with nest-box traps.Blood samples were taken from the brachial vein.Parentage analyses were carried out using nine highly variable microsatellite loci through Cervus 3.0 software and maximum likelihood approach.Results:Forty-nine offspring(15.08%)from 20 nests(45.45%)were the results of extra-pair fertilization out of a total of 325 offspring in 44 nests.The average extra-pair offspring ratio was 33.54%,with a set varying from 11.11 to 71.43%.Nine extra-pair fathers had been successfully identified,four of whom were the close neighbors of the focus nest while the nests of the remaining five were relatively far.No significant difference was found in the genetic similarity between the social and extra-pair mates of the female,nor in the heterozygosis among the maternal half-siblings.Conclusions:In general,our study proved that the extra-pair paternity in Marsh Tits and its extra-pair mating is independent of the genetic compatibility hypothesis.This complements the understudied bird's extra-pair paternity in Asian area and contributes to the comprehensive insight of birds'extra-pair paternity behaviors.

QTL and genetic analysis controlling fiber quality traits using paternal backcross population in upland cotton

Background:Genetic improvement in fiber quality is one of the main challenges for cotton breeders.Quantitative trait loci(QTL)mapping provides a powerful approach to dissect the molecular mechanism in fiber quality traits.In present study,F14 recombinant inbred line(RIL)population was backcrossed to paternal parent for a paternal backcross(BC/P)population,deriving from one upland cotton hybrid.Three repetitive BC/P field trials and one maternal backcross(BC/M)field trial were performed including both two BC populations and the original RIL population.Results:In total,24 novel QTLs are detected for fiber quality traits and among which 13 QTLs validated previous results.Thirty-five QTLs in BC/P populations explain 5.01%–22.09%of phenotype variation(PV).Among the 35 QTLs,23 QTLs are detected in BC/P population alone.Present study provides novel alleles of male parent for fiber quality traits with positive genetic effects.Particularly,qFS-Chr3–1 explains 22.09%of PV in BC/P population,which increaseds 0.48 cN·tex−1 for fiber strength.A total of 7,2,8,2 and 6 QTLs explain over 10.00%of PV for fiber length,fiber uniformity,fiber strength,fiber elongation and fiber micronaire,respectively.In RIL population,six common QTLs are detected in more than one environment:qFL-Chr1–2,qFS-Chr5–1,qFS-Chr9–1,qFS-Chr21–1,qFM-Chr9–1 and qFM-Chr9–2.Two common QTLs of qFE-Chr2–2(TMB2386-SWU12343)and qFM-Chr9–1(NAU2873-CGR6771)explain 22.42%and 21.91%of PV.The region between NAU4034 and TMB1296 harbor 30 genes(379 kb)in A05 and 42 genes(49 kb)in D05 for fiber length along the QTL qFL-Chr5–1 in BC/P population,respectively.In addition,a total of 142 and 46 epistatic QTLs and QTL×environments(E-QTLs and QQEs)are identified in recombinant inbred lines in paternal backcross(RIL-P)and paternal backcross(BC/P)populations,respectively.Conclusions:The present studies provide informative basis for improving cotton fiber quality in different populations.

Emancipatory reflection on a nursing practice-based ethical issue about nurses' paternalistic decision-making for patients

Objective: This study aimed to demonstrate and promote the skill of critical emancipatory reflection through reflecting on a nursing practice-based ethical issue about nurses' paternalistic decision-making for patients. Meanwhile, critical awareness will be developed and the underlying issues of paternalism in nursing decision-making will be analyzed. Then, by applying the procedure, improvement in nursing decision-making practice will be expected.Methods: Taylor's model of emancipatory reflection with four steps, including construction, deconstruction, confrontation, and reconstruction, is utilized to guide the author's reflection.Results: Guided by the socialization theory, the author's personal and professional socialization is seen to be associated with the formation of the value of paternalism. The theory of reflexivity is applied to unearth the related issues, including deeper personal value,work environment, as well as historical and cultural contexts. Moreover, the power derived from policy, work relationship, and nursing administration, which could induce paternalism in the author's nursing decision-making practice, was critically debated using the hegemony theory. Finally, new insights into paternalism will be achieved, which enable change in terms of how to facilitate patients' autonomous decision-making.Conclusions: The process of refection makes it clear that respecting patients' right and performing patient-centered caring are the bases to change the paternalism existing in the nursing decision-making practice currently. The reconstruction step assists the author in terms of how to value the patients' autonomy and balance patients' safety and choice, rather than being overprotective; carry out risk assessment, and search for strong evidence to counterbalance the positive and negative aspects of risk-taking; communicate with patients appropriately in a manner that they can comprehend; spend more time to explore patients' preference and choice; make every effort to elevate the patients' decision-making capacity; implement patient-centered care and shared decision-making in nursing practice; consult with other colleagues and obtain the required support when limitations or challenges exist; try to justify and avoid hidden paternalism behind policy or guidelines; deal with the power in hand well and fairly; and also positively face the powers that constrain the author.

PATERNITY IDENTIFICATION ON ABORTED FETAL MATERIAL

After a rape, woman who is pregnamt often elect to abort the fetus.The authors describe 2 cases witers genetic markers ABO, MN,Rh,PGM1,EsD,ACP,GLOI,GPT,HP,Cc and HLA-A,-B were tasted on the aborted fetal material to provide evidence of the genetic constitution of the rapist The results showed that this type of testing is possible for prenatal paternity identification.

A Study of China's Employment Patern

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Extra-pair paternity and antiparasitic defence

Background:Extra-pair paternity(EPP)in birds provides benefits in terms of more offspring,and characteristics for maintenance of this behaviour have been the subject of investigation.Microorganisms are known to be transmitted during mating,especially when mating with multiple partners,and factors reducing this cost of multiple mating are expected.Further,plumage brightness and colour intensity have been shown to be important traits to benefits from multiple mating as predicted by sexual selection.The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the rate of extra-pair paternity and the relative size of the uropygial gland at the interspecific level,as the uropygial gland is an exocrine gland hypothesized to produce antiparasitic substances and further identified to affect plumage brightness.Because of the expected benefits of large uropygial gland in scenarios of sexual selection,we predicted a positive correlation with EPP.Methods:We collected information from the literature of uropygial gland size and frequency of extra-pair paternity of 60 avian species of different families and explored the predicted positive correlation between them.We did so with means of comparative analyses that considered phylogenetic relationship as random factor and included body mass as covariate.We used Markov chain Monte Carlo generalized linear mixed models that were weighted by number of nests used to estimate extra-pair paternity.Results:We detected a positive relationship between level of extra-pair paternity and uropygial gland size at an interspecific level.This finding is consistent with the prediction.Conclusions:We discuss the importance of this result in scenarios of sexual selection and argue that the detected relationship may have arisen by utilizing antiparasitic secretions through secondary sexual characters indicating parasite resistance.

An Example of Yak Paternity Assignment by Microsatellite Genotyping

12 cattle microsatellite DNA markers were used for establishing the paternity of 4 Datong Yak calves.The results indicated that paternity can be assigned by use of exclusion method directely when the mother is clearly known and data of all likely sires were obtained. The more the alleles of a locus possessed, the more effectively the paternity can be assigned. Not only the microsatellite DNA marker is a promising tool in establishment of yak detail pedigrees, but also can provide us information of reproductive efficiency of the bull(s) based on the numbers of calves it produced in the herd, which will be useful in speeding up the processes of yak genetics improvement.

Large males have a mating advantage in a species of darter with smaller,allopaternal males Etheostoma olmstedi

Theory suggests that males that are larger than their competitors may have increased mating success, due to bothgreater competitive ability and increased attractiveness to females. We examined how male mating success varies with male sizein the tessellated darter Etheostoma olmstedi. Previous work has shown that large males tend to move around and breed in vacantbreeding sites, and consequently provide less care for their eggs, while smaller individuals can be allopaternal, caring for the eggsof other males as well as for their own. We studied female egg deposition in a natural breeding population using artificial breedingsites and in the laboratory, where female choice of spawning site was restricted to two breeding sites tended by two males ofdifferent sizes. In both the field and the laboratory, nests tended by larger males were more likely to receive new eggs. Additionally,the mean size of males associated with a nest was positively correlated with both the maximum coverage of eggs at the nestand the number of times new eggs were deposited. We discuss how the increased mating success of larger males, despite their decreasedparental care, may help explain allopaternal care in this

Effect of advanced paternal age on reproductive outcomes in IVF cycles of non-male-factor infertility: a retrospective cohort study

Advanced paternal age has been overlooked,and its effect on fertility remains controversial.Previous studies have focused mainly on intracytoplasmic sperm injection(ICSI)cycles in men with oligozoospermia.However,few studies have reported on men with semen parameters within reference ranges.Therefore,we conducted a retrospective cohort study analyzing the reproductive outcomes of couples with non-male-factor infertility undergoing in vitro fertilization(IVF)cycles.In total,381 cycles included were subgrouped according to paternal age(<35-year-old,35–39-year-old,or≥40-year-old),and maternal age was limited to under 35 years.Data on embryo quality and clinical outcomes were analyzed.The results showed that fertilization and high-quality embryo rates were not significantly different(all P>0.05).The pregnancy rate was not significantly different in the 35–39-year-old group(42.0%;P>0.05),but was significantly lower in the≥40-year-old group(26.1%;P<0.05)than that in the<35-year-old group(40.3%).Similarly,the implantation rate significantly decreased in the≥40-year-old group(18.8%)compared with that in the<35-year-old group(31.1%)and 35–39-year-old group(30.0%)(both P<0.05).The live birth rate(30.6%,21.7%,and 19.6%)was not significantly different across the paternal age subgroups(<35-year-old,35–39-year-old,and≥40-year-old,respectively;all P>0.05),but showed a declining trend.The miscarriage rate significantly increased in the 35–39-year-old group(44.8%)compared with that in the<35-year-old group(21.0%;P<0.05).No abnormality in newborn birth weight was found.The results indicated that paternal age over 40 years is a key risk factor that influences the assisted reproductive technology success rate even with good semen parameters,although it has no impact on embryo development.

Developmental origins of health and disease: Impact of paternal nutrition and lifestyle

Most epidemiological and experimental studies have focused on maternal influences on offspring’s health.The impact of maternal undernutrition,overnutrition,hypoxia,and stress is linked to adverse offspring outcomes across a range of systems including cardiometabolic,respiratory,endocrine,and reproduction among others.During the past decade,it has become evident that paternal environmental factors are also linked to the development of diseases in offspring.In this article,we aim to outline the current understanding of the impact of male health and environmental exposure on offspring development,health,and disease and explore the mechanisms underlying the paternal programming of offspring health.The available evidence suggests that poor paternal pre-conceptional nutrition and lifestyle,and advanced age can increase the risk of negative outcomes in offspring,via both direct(genetic/epigenetic)and indirect(maternal uterine environment)effects.Beginning at preconception,and during utero and the early life after birth,cells acquire an epigenetic memory of the early exposure which can be influential across the entire lifespan and program a child’s health.Potentially not only mothers but also fathers should be advised that maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle is important to improve offspring health as well as the parental health status.However,the evidence is mostly based on animal studies,and well-designed human studies are urgently needed to verify findings from animal data.