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Infections by Anaplasma marginale and infestations by Rhipicephalus microplus occur endemically in Brazil, representing an obstacle to expanding the use of taurine breeds, which are more susceptible. In this study, the levels of infection by A. marginale and infestation by R. microplus were monitored in 31 calves that were either purebred or had a high degree of taurine blood: 17 Angus (100% taurine) and 14 Ultrablack (ca. 82% taurine and 18% Zebu). The animals were evaluated on 13 occasions at 12-day intervals. The levels of A. marginale infection were determined by quantification of DNA copy number (CN) by qPCR, and ticks were monitored by two methods: counting adult females (≥ 4.5 mm) and scoring the level of tick infestation considering all visible instars in the animals' bodies. No significant effects were observed between the means of CN of A. marginale, tick counts and scores among Angus and Ultrablack animals. The repeatability estimates for CN of A. marginale, tick counts and tick scores were 0.53, 0.12 and 0.16, respectively. The correlations between CN and tick counts and scores were close to zero, whereas the correlations between tick assessment methods were 0.57. The absence of differences between the two genetic groups indicates, under the conditions of the present study, that the low degree of Zebu blood did not influence the levels of infection by A. marginale or infestation by R. microplus. The results also suggest that the evaluation of the levels of infestation by ticks using scores can provide information closer to the real infestation rate considering that it uses all the visible instars of the parasites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: Measurements from force platforms and digital scales have been applied to classify weight-bearing distribution in post-stroke hemiparesis. However, an intermediate tool – computed baropodometry – is breaking new ground in this field of diagnosis, with a need to report its reliability. Intra-test and test/retest reliabilities of the percentage of total body weight borne by the predominantly used hemibody calculated from computed baropodometry in participants with and without chronic hemiparesis was investigated in this study. Methods: A total of 40 participants were evaluated and combined for age and sex in two different groups. Repeated measures were taken to analyse differences among records obtained from averages during 5, 10 or 20 seconds (intra-test reliability) and between the test and 1-week retest (test/retest reliability) for both groups. The analysis of variance, intra-class correlation coefficient and data plotted by Bland-Altman method were administrated. Results: The intra-test analysis did not show differences among records obtained from different time durations (5, 10 and 20 seconds). Excellent to moderate intra-class correlation coefficient values (0.794 to 0.644) between test and retest were observed in the hemiparesis group from the records obtained by short to the longer lasting time durations, while for control groups, intra-class correlation coefficient values (0.661 to 0.748) were classified as moderate. Conclusions: Acceptable reliability was found for all participants. Moreover, improved repeatability was reported when the measures were obtained by shorter time periods for both groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to estimate the genetic parameters for the ability of a sheep to rank among the top three in its age category (ABI3) and for its total score (TS) on the judgement championships held in different agricultural fairs in Brazil. Data files included 3180 records referring to 1896 animals for ABI3 and 4383 records referring to 2170 animals for TS. The relationship matrix was composed by 4069 animals. Variance components were estimated fitting threshold and linear animal models for ABI3 and TS, respectively, by Bayesian analysis using the Gibbs sampler. The posterior means of the heritability and repeatability were, respectively, 0.10 ± 0.07 and 0.57 ± 0.11 for ABI3 and 0.12 ± 0.04 and 0.31 ± 0.02 for TS. The low values for the heritabilities related to these traits reveal a strong influence of the environmental factors, as the differential management offered to the animals before and during the fair. The repeatability values for ABI3 suggest high correlation among the animal classifications in different fairs. However, for TS, the observed performance has moderate confidence to be repeated over time. We conclude that although reduced, there is genetic variability for the animal’s performance in agricultural fairs. Nevertheless, due to the low heritability estimates, the expected response to direct selection for ABI3 and TS will be low. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

• Flower length presented the highest heritability and its strongly correlated with fruit dimensions. • Five harvests are an adequate number for the selection of superior genotypes. • Genotypes 25, 10 and 47 (green fruits), and 11 (red fruits) are candidates for new cultivars. • Simultaneous selection was shown to be an important tool for genetic improvement. There are limited number of studies on the genetic improvement of sugar apple (Annona squamosa L.), in addition to this there are few studies available on the in situ and ex situ characterization and conservation of its germplasm, this has restricted the advancement of the cultivation of its fruit in Brazil. The present study aims to estimate the genetic parameters, establish Pearson's correlations between agronomic traits, and predict the genetic gains in half-sib progenies of sugar apple for selection purposes. The experiment included four half-sib progenies of sugar apple (UNI-1, UNI-2, UNI-3, and UNI-4) distributed in a random-block experimental design with three repetitions and five plants per plot. Field evaluation using eight quantitative traits were assessed over eight harvests during the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh years of production. Flower length had a high heritability (66%). There was a positive Pearson correlation between total yield and number of fruits per plant, and flower length was strongly correlated with traits related to fruit size. Flower number, flower length, fresh fruit mass, fruit diameter and fruit length also showed high repeatability. It was observed that five harvests are an adequate number for the selection of superior genotypes, and that these evaluations should be carried out between the fourth and sixth year after planting. The Mulamba and Mock 2 index (MM2) was used as criterion for simultaneous selection of genotypes. Genotypes 25 (UNI-1), 10 and 47 (UNI-2), and 11 (UNI-3) stood out for achieving high scores in more than one trait. They should be considered for selection as they allow the best offspring to be selected, are potential candidates for new cultivars and will be prioritized for the next recombination cycle of the breeding program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An approach different from the API approach to calculate the shrinkage factor in oil is proposed. Calculation and expression of measurement uncertainty, even though compulsory in some situations, as in this case, required by the latest revision of the Brazilian regulations can be seen as a powerful tool to better understand the method. In this case, the contributions from scale resolution of volumetric glassware and repeatability are those that denigrate the analysis most. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate multicenter repeatability and reproducibility of T 1 and T 2 maps generated using MR fingerprinting (MRF) in the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine/National Institute of Standards and Technology MRI system phantom and in prostatic tissues., Methods: MRF experiments were performed on 5 different 3 Tesla MRI scanners at 3 different institutions: University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center (Cleveland, OH), Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston, MA) in the United States, and Diagnosticos da America (Rio de Janeiro, RJ) in Brazil. Raw MRF data were reconstructed using a Gadgetron-based MRF online reconstruction pipeline to yield quantitative T 1 and T 2 maps. The repeatability of T 1 and T 2 values over 6 measurements in the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine/National Institute of Standards and Technology MRI system phantom was assessed to demonstrate intrascanner variation. The reproducibility between the 4 clinical scanners was assessed to demonstrate interscanner variation. The same-day test-retest normal prostate mean T 1 and T 2 values from peripheral zone and transitional zone were also compared using the intraclass correlation coefficient and Bland-Altman analysis., Results: The intrascanner variation of values measured using MRF was less than 2% for T 1 and 4.7% for T 2 for relaxation values, within the range of 307.7 to 2360 ms for T 1 and 19.1 to 248.5 ms for T 2 . Interscanner measurements showed that the T 1 variation was less than 4.9%, and T 2 variation was less than 8.1% between multicenter scanners. Both T 1 and T 2 values in in vivo prostatic tissue demonstrated high test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient > 0.92) and strong linear correlation (R 2  > 0.840)., Conclusion: Prostate MRF measurements of T 1 and T 2 are repeatable and reproducible between MRI scanners at different centers on different continents for the above measurement ranges., (© 2022 The Authors. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.)

Estimating the number of repetitions of data obtained from several experiments performed in given location is important to minimize human and financial resources and leverage the existing information. The objective of this research was to determine how many evaluations (replications) were necessary to predict productive and morphologic characters of soybean genotypes (Glycine max L. Merril) and to verify its variability in the number of replications among characters. Twenty-eight soybean genotypes were evaluated in five experiments conducted in Jaboticabal, São Paulo State, Brazil, from 2002 to 2005. Randomized blocks design with three repetitions was installed to evaluate the following productive characters (seed yield, number of pods per plant and mass of one hundred grains) and morphologic (plant height at maturity, height of first pod insertion, number of nodes per plant and number of branches per plant). It was performed analysis of variance, estimated the repeatability coefficient and calculated the number of repetitions necessary to predict the real value of the genotypes. It was found variability in the number of replications among the productive and morphologic characters. Experiments with three replicates identify soybean genotypes with higher 17.52% (height of first pod insertion) to 61.07% (number of nodes per plant) of real accuracy. To improve the accuracy of the evaluation of characters in soybean plants, you need to use a greater number of repetitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to determine how many evaluations (replications) were necessary to predict the performance of common bean cultivars. Fourteen common beans cultivars (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were evaluated in nine experiments conducted at Santa Maria, in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil in the agricultural years of 2000/2001 and 2004/ 2005. In each experiment, it was used a randomized blocks design with three blocks or replications. In each block d 14 cultivars were evaluated. Thus, the causes of variation were blocks, cultivars and interaction blocks x cultivars which is the experimental error. The following characters were measured: number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, weight of 100 grains, final population of plants, number of days of the emergency to flowering, number of days of the emergency to harvest, height of first pod insertion, height of the final pod insertion and degree of the down. Analysis of variance was performed, the repeatability coefficient was estimated and the number of repetitions was calculated. Experiments with five replicates identify bean cultivars in relation to groups of characters: weight of 100 grains, number of days of the emergency to flowering and number of days of the emergency to harvest; final population of plants, height of the final pod insertion and degree of the down; and number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod and height of first pod insertion, with respectively 95, 85 and 80% of real accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to determine how many evaluations (replications) were necessary to predict the performance of corn (Zea mays L.) cultivars. Grain yield data were used, from 286 cultivar competition trials of corn, carried out in the Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, in the crop years of 2002/2003, 2003/2004, 2004/2005, 2005/2006, 2006/2007, 2007/2008 and 2008/2009. For each assay was carried out the analysis of variance, estimated the repeatability coefficient and calculated the number of replications needed to predict the real value of the cultivars, based on genotypic determination coefficient of 0.80 and 0.90. Assays with three and four replications are sufficient to identify superior cultivars of the corn, in relation to the grains yield, with respectively 72.40 and 81% accuracy of its real value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economy of human and financial resources, without losing the experimental precision, is considered an important factor in the planning of experiments. The objective of this research was to determine how many evaluations (replications) were necessary to predict the performance of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) cultivars. Grains yield of fourteen common beans cultivars were evaluated in nine experiments conducted at Santa Maria, in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil (latitude 29°42′S, longitude 53°49′W, altitude 95m) in the agricultural years of 2000/2001 and 2004/2005. The repeatability estimations were obtained through variance, structural and principal component analysis of number repetitions and it was calculated. Assays with four replications are sufficient to identify superior cultivars of the common beans, in relation to the grains yield, with 85% real accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time-lapse seismic is an important tool for reservoir management. As seismic data quality improves, there is a drive for moving towards quantitative interpretation, which demands data of higher repeatability. In deep water time-lapse projects, the changes in the speed of sound of the water layer between baseline and monitor acquisitions play a significant role in the data processing. In this work, we study the effects of these water velocity changes, in a scenario of ocean bottom nodes (OBN) acquisition. We perform 2D elastic seismic modeling with high-resolution property models for two distinct survey dates. In each date, different water velocity profiles, measured in field experiments in a Brazilian Pre-salt area, are considered. To incorporate source and receiver non-repeatability, some differences in the acquisition geometries are also tested for each vintage. The synthetic data are compared in terms of time-lapse amplitudes, and repeatability is quantified via the normalized root mean squared attribute (NRMS). For the parameters considered in our study, the deterioration of NRMS seems to be dominated by the non-repeatability of the receivers and by water velocity variations, with source non-repeatability having a lower contribution. We believe the results presented in this work are a first step towards a more robust methodology for time-lapse feasibility studies, which incorporates imaging uncertainties and allows us to understand the contribution of each element that could affect the 4D seismic image quality. • High repeatability seismic is necessary to monitor stiff reservoirs. • Seasonal velocity changes in the water layer affect the quality of 4D seismic. • The effects are different for shallow and deep reservoirs. • Geometry uncertainty is also relevant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, Brachiaria brizantha Stapf is the tropical grass with the largest cultivated area in Brazil, being responsible for a major part of the seed market and for the increase in animal production. There are several superior genotypes available in germplasm banks, collected from the African continent and in need of evaluation. The selection of these genotypes must be based on predicted genotype values of the individuals in function of being perennial plants and of unsexed propagation. The standard procedure for the prediction of genetic values is the individual BLUP (Best Linear Unbiased Predictor), using estimates of variance components achieved by the restricted maximum likelihood (REML) on an individual model. With the aim of selecting B. brizantha materials superior to the commercial cultivars in relation to the agronomic traits, 218 genotypes were evaluated at four experimental fields belonging to Embrapa Gado de Corte in Campo Grande, MS, Brazil. The fields were evaluated at different times, being that field One was evaluated for three years, and the others for two years. The experimental design used was that of randomized blocks in three replications, with Marandu and Xaraés cultivars as witnesses. Genetic parameters estimated for the characters were: accumulation of dry mass (MST), accumulation of foliar dry matter (MSF), dry green matter (MSV), leaf percentage (F(%)), rebudding (REB) and vigor. It was concluded that two years of measurement are enough for selection, adopting a coefficient of determination of 80%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The estimation of the common bean grain clarity ('L' value) is a new measure and it is not much used in the breeding programs. The objective of this research was to determine the possibility to classifying common bean genotypes for the 'L' value, within the same commercial group and to evaluate how many repetitions are necessary. Nineteen experiments were conducted in Santa Maria, in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, from 1998/1999 to 2005/2006 years. The grain tegument colors were determined with 13% moisture. The clarity of grain tegument is associated with the commercial value of common bean cultivar. Values between 0.50 and 3.33 were significative different by Tukey test. The clarity of grains tegument ('L' value) can be used to classify common bean lots of same commercial group. Two repetitions are sufficient to evaluate common bean grains tegument colors, with 90% accuracy of the real value and high experimental precision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animal personality is defined as consistent individual differences across time and situations, but little is known about how or when those differences are established during development. Likewise, several studies described the personality structure of adult capuchin monkeys, without assessing the ontogeny of these personality traits. We analyzed the behavioral repertoire of 12 wild infants (9 males, 3 females) yellow-breasted capuchin monkeys (Sapajus xanthosternos), in Una Biological Reserve (Bahia, Brazil). Each infant was observed and filmed weekly from birth until 36 months, through daily focal sampling. We analyzed the behavior of each individual in 10 developmental points. By means of component reduction (principal component analysis), we obtained four behavioral traits: Sociability, Anxiety, Openness, and Activity. We investigated whether there were developmental effects on those traits by fitting regression models for the effect of time on behavioral traits, controlling for monkey identity, sex, and cohort. Sociability (decreasing) and Anxiety (increasing) changed significantly along development. By means of repeatability analysis, we did not find intra-individual consistency across time in those traits, so we cannot discriminate stable personality traits in early ontogeny. Our results show that the personality structure of capuchin monkeys is not established during early development, in agreement with the literature on human personality., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Objective: To describe the performance of a non-fluoroscopic fixed-flexion PA radiographic protocol with a new positioning device, developed for the assessment of knee osteoarthritis (OA) in Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health Musculoskeletal Study (ELSA-Brasil MSK)., Material and Methods: A test-retest design including 19 adults (38 knee images) was conducted. Feasibility of the radiographic protocol was assessed by image quality parameters and presence of radioanatomic alignment according to intermargin distance (IMD) values. Repeatability was assessed for IMD and joint space width (JSW) measured at three different locations., Results: Approximately 90% of knee images presented excellent quality. Frequencies of nearly perfect radioanatomic alignment (IMD ≤1mm) ranged from 29% to 50%, and satisfactory alignment was found in up to 71% and 76% of the images (IMD ≤1.5mm and ≤1.7mm, respectively). Repeatability analyses yielded the following results: IMD [SD of mean difference=1.08; coefficient of variation (%CV)=54.68%; intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) (95%CI)=0.59 (0.34-0.77)]; JSW [SD of mean difference=0.34-0.61; %CV=4.48%-9.80%; ICC (95%CI)=0.74 (0.55-0.85)-0.94 (0.87-0.97)]. Adequately reproducible measurements of IMD and JSW were found in 68% and 87% of the images, respectively., Conclusions: Despite the difficulty in achieving consistent radioanatomic alignment between subsequent radiographs in terms of IMD, the protocol produced highly repeatable JSW measurements when these were taken at midpoint and 10mm from the medial extremity of the medial tibial plateau. Therefore, measurements of JSW at these locations can be considered adequate for the assessment of knee OA in ELSA-Brasil MSK., (Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda.)