The present invention generally relates to methods of identifying whether or not an animal carries a biological marker linked to animal productivity, more particularly, but not exclusively, to methods of identifying whether or not an animal carries a biological marker having a deleterious effect on animal productivity. The invention also relates to methods for selecting or rejecting one or more animals, cells or embryos, animal evaluation, breeding animals, and herd formation. The invention also relates to biological markers suitable for use in such methods. In particular, the present invention relates to genetic variations which disrupt the PLCD4 gene.

Methods, systems, and apparatuses, including computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage medium for fish farm material handling are described. Fish farm material includes samples collected from broodstock individuals and transported for suspension in cold storage. During the time window of cold storage, a metric of interest corresponding to the fish farm material is identified. Based on the metric of interest identification, material handling may be modified to, for example, segregate fish farm material into quarantined incubation units to inhibit infection of fish farm material within other incubation units.

Methods, systems, and apparatuses, including computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage medium for fish farm material handling are described. Fish farm material includes samples collected from broodstock individuals and transported for suspension in cold storage. During the time window of cold storage, a metric of interest corresponding to the fish farm material is identified. Based on the metric of interest identification, material handling may be modified to, for example, segregate fish farm material into quarantined incubation units to inhibit infection of fish farm material within other incubation units.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems, apparatuses and methods for regulation hormone production in mammals. Examples include but are not limited to by creating electro-magnetic wave emission pulse trains (photons) of individual color spectrums in sufficient intensity to drive hormone production in a mammal, using a characteristic frequency or pattern to minimize the required input power necessary to regulate hormone production, while also allowing for the monitoring of the power consumption and other variables of the system. By controlling the duty cycle, intensity, wavelength band and frequency of photon signals to a mammal, production of specific hormones can be regulated through the cycling between blue, green, yellow, near-red, far-red, infrared and ultra violet photon modulation.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems, apparatuses and methods for regulation hormone production in mammals. Examples include but are not limited to by creating electro-magnetic wave emission pulse trains (photons) of individual color spectrums in sufficient intensity to drive hormone production in a mammal, using a characteristic frequency or pattern to minimize the required input power necessary to regulate hormone production, while also allowing for the monitoring of the power consumption and other variables of the system. By controlling the duty cycle, intensity, wavelength band and frequency of photon signals to a mammal, production of specific hormones can be regulated through the cycling between blue, green, yellow, near-red, far-red, infrared and ultra violet photon modulation.

A method of breeding a hypoxia-tolerant Megalobrama amblycephala strain, including: (1) screening genes associated with hypoxia tolerance in Megalobrama amblycephala based on transcriptome data; (2) screening SNP sites from the genes associated with hypoxia tolerance; and (3) applying a haplotype of the SNP sites in the molecular marker-assisted breeding of Megalobrama amblycephala to obtain the hypoxia-tolerant Megalobrama amblycephala strain. The genes associated with hypoxia tolerance include Epo, Hif1, Hif2, VhI, Hif1an, Vegfaa Egln1a, Egln1b, Egln2 and Egln3, and the haplotype of the SNP sites is T.sup.397T.sup.715 of gene Egln2.

A method of breeding a hypoxia-tolerant Megalobrama amblycephala strain, including: (1) screening genes associated with hypoxia tolerance in Megalobrama amblycephala based on transcriptome data; (2) screening SNP sites from the genes associated with hypoxia tolerance; and (3) applying a haplotype of the SNP sites in the molecular marker-assisted breeding of Megalobrama amblycephala to obtain the hypoxia-tolerant Megalobrama amblycephala strain. The genes associated with hypoxia tolerance include Epo, Hif1, Hif2, VhI, Hif1an, Vegfaa Egln1a, Egln1b, Egln2 and Egln3, and the haplotype of the SNP sites is T.sup.397T.sup.715 of gene Egln2.

The present invention discloses a method for breeding the commercial strains of red feather pink-shell laying hens. It provides a primer pair for identifying the red feather causative mutation homozygous genotype of white leghorn chickens, which is composed of the single-stranded DNA molecule shown in Sequence 2 of the Sequence List and the single-stranded DNA molecule shown in Sequence 3 of the list. After the primer was designed according to the upstream and downstream nucleotide sequences of the 18,288,303.sup.rd deoxynucleotide in the positive-sense strand of the 11.sup.th chromosome as shown in the sequence information of the chicken reference genome Gallus_gallus-4.0 version published in NCBI, the genotype (SNP) at this site is tested through the restriction fragment length polymorphism, the genotype of the site (SNP) was tested through the restriction fragment length polymorphism; the offspring hens obtained by cross breeding the homogenous female parent (the homogenous female parent was obtained through expanded propagation of the white leghorn chickens with the red feather causative mutation homozygous genotype) and the Rhode Island Red rooster as a male parent are all of red feather phenotype, meeting the market demands and enjoying a broad prospect for promotion.

The present invention discloses a method for breeding the commercial strains of red feather pink-shell laying hens. It provides a primer pair for identifying the red feather causative mutation homozygous genotype of white leghorn chickens, which is composed of the single-stranded DNA molecule shown in Sequence 2 of the Sequence List and the single-stranded DNA molecule shown in Sequence 3 of the list. After the primer was designed according to the upstream and downstream nucleotide sequences of the 18,288,303.sup.rd deoxynucleotide in the positive-sense strand of the 11.sup.th chromosome as shown in the sequence information of the chicken reference genome Gallus_gallus-4.0 version published in NCBI, the genotype (SNP) at this site is tested through the restriction fragment length polymorphism, the genotype of the site (SNP) was tested through the restriction fragment length polymorphism; the offspring hens obtained by cross breeding the homogenous female parent (the homogenous female parent was obtained through expanded propagation of the white leghorn chickens with the red feather causative mutation homozygous genotype) and the Rhode Island Red rooster as a male parent are all of red feather phenotype, meeting the market demands and enjoying a broad prospect for promotion.

The system includes a feeding vessel having an inlet, an outlet, and a membrane positioned across an opening in the vessel. Parasites (preferably ticks) are allowed to attach themselves to the membrane so that as a feeding fluid (preferably blood) is circulated through the vessel, the parasites feed on the feeding fluid through the membrane.