• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.497-507
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• 1993

Four truncation selection schemes (SSs) were framed to predict and compare the age structures and genetic responses under the influence of various factor employing the scheme-specific algorithms. Two paths of selection, sires (bulls' sires) and dams (bulls' dams) to breed young bulls were considered. Among variable factors, four levels (0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9) of precision of evaluation, five levels (0.0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20 genetic standard deviation) of genetic differences among age classes and 4 levels of proportions selected (for bulls' sire, 0.05, 0.10, 0.125, 0.25, and for bulls' dams 0.02, 0.04, 0.05, and 0.10) contemplated on both paths of selection. The number of age classes for bulls' dams and bulls' sires were 4 or 8 and 2 or 4, respectively. The stayability across age classes for bulls' dams was assumed to be 0.80 or 0.60. The candidates for selection for bulls' sires were equally distributed (0.5 or 0.25) across the age classes. The SS1 (selection on same proportions as candidates' distribution) revealed longest generation lengths and lowest yearly genetic responses. The average ages were youngest and yearly genetic responses were highest in SS4 (selection at each age-specific truncation point with the same average genetic superiority of selected parents across the ages) and followed by SS3 (selection at each agespecific truncation point with same predicted genetic values) and SS2 (selection at common truncation point on phenotypic values) in a population with overlapping generations. The results revealed the importance of choosing suitable selection scheme to acquire maximum yearly genetic responses especially when the genetic differences among age classes are large and the precision of evaluation is relatively low.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.183-191
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• 2019

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare intended and actual yearly genetic gains for milk production and conformation traits and to investigate the simple selection criterion practiced among milk production and conformation traits during the last two decades in Japan. Learning how to utilize the information on intended and actual genetic gains during the last two decades into the genomic era is vital. Methods: Genetic superiority for each trait for four paths of selection (sires to breed bulls [SB], sires to breed cows [SC], dams to breed bulls [DB], and dams to breed cows [DC]) was estimated. Actual practiced simple selection criteria were investigated among milk production and conformation traits and relative emphasis on milk production and conformation traits was compared. Results: Selection differentials in milk production traits were greater than those of conformation traits in all four paths of selection. Realized yearly genetic gain was less than that intended for milk production traits. Actual annual genetic gain for conformation traits was equivalent to or greater than intended. Retrospective selection weights of milk production and conformation traits were 0.73:0.27 and 0.56:0.44 for intended and realized genetic gains, respectively. Conclusion: Selection was aimed more toward increasing genetic gain in milk production than toward conformation traits over the past two decades in Japan. In contrast, actual annual genetic gain for conformation traits was equivalent to or greater than intended. Balanced selection between milk production and conformation traits tended to be favored during actual selection. Each of four paths of selection (SB, SC, DB, and DC) has played an individual and important role. With shortening generation interval in the genomic era, a young sire arises before the completion of sire's daughters' milk production records. How to integrate these four paths of selection in the genomic era is vital.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.619-627
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• 1997

Maintenance of polymorphism in a two-locus system with two alleles under stabilizing selection has been tested by Monte-Carlo simulation. The effect of each allele was additive. Only gene x environment interactions and degree of genetic linkage between loci were considered. There were no other evolutionary forces acting except stabilizing selection. Fixation rates were influenced by the extent of environmental change and the degree of genetic linkage. In most cases, stabilizing selection depleted genetic variability when two loci have a lower degree of linkage (10 cM). When two loci are closely linked (0.1 cM), however, stabilizing selection promoted balanced heterozygotes in changing environments. Thus, environment-dependent selection and recombination rate are important parameters which should be incorporated into mechanisms of maintenance of genetic variability.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.428-434
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• 1997

The effect of genetic diversity in sub-populations on breeding efficiency was examined with prospect of potential crossbreeding. Simulation study of selection was performed for 20 generations with 20 replications each, comparing average breeding values and inbreeding coefficients between the two breeding systemes; single population scheme and two population scheme. The different genetic levels were assumed to be caused by different gene frequencies. Phenotypes of two traits generated polygenic effect with additive 36 loci and residuals distributed normally were selected by selection index procedure. High genetic gain with less inbreeding was clearly recognized in the single population scheme, independently of difference in genetic level, economic weight and genetic correlation. Genetic correlation after selection in the single population scheme was lower than the two population scheme. When crossbreeding between the sub-population was taken into account, superiority of the two population scheme was suggested under those restrictions; difference in genetic level is moderate, selection criterion for the two traits is not far from even economic weight, and genetic correlation is positive with low to moderate value. The use of complementarity increased the possibility of the two population scheme.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.883-887
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• 2000

One way of evaluating the effectiveness of a dairy breeding program is to measure response to selection. This may be direct or indirect. The objectives of this study were to estimate expected progress for direct selection on milk, fat and protein yields; to estimate the expected correlated responses on indirect selection for milk, fat and protein yields in Zimbabwean Holstein cattle and to establish the effect of selection intensity on responses. The Animal Model contained fixed effects of herd, year of calving, calving month, dry period, milking frequency and additive effects pertaining to cows, sires and dams. AIREML software package was used to analyse the data. The genetic and phenotypic parameters obtained in this study were used to compute direct and correlated responses to selection. Because of the higher heritabilities in first parity, genetic progress was found to be greater when selection was practised on first parity cows as compared to later lactations. It is therefore recommended that older cows in the herd be replaced with improved heifers so as to enhance genetic progress.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.453-460
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• 2007

An overview of developments important in the future of animal breeding is discussed. Examples from the application of quantitative genetic principles to selection in chickens and mice are given. Lessons to be learned from these species are that selection for production traits in livestock must also consider selection for reproduction and other fitness-related traits and inbreeding should be minimized. Short-term selection benefits of best linear unbiased predictor methodology must be weighed against long-term risks of increased rate of inbreeding. Different options have been developed to minimize inbreeding rates while maximizing selection response. Development of molecular genetic methods to search for quantitative trait loci provides the opportunity for incorporating marker-assisted selection and introgression as new tools for increasing efficiency of genetic improvement. Theoretical and computer simulation studies indicate that these methods hold great promise once genotyping costs are reduced to make the technology economically feasible. Cloning and transgenesis are not likely to contribute significantly to genetic improvement of livestock production in the near future.

• International Journal of Fuzzy Logic and Intelligent Systems
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2005

This paper proposes a new method for accelerating the search speed of genetic algorithms by taking derivative evaluation and conditional random selection into account in their evolution process. Derivative evaluation makes genetic algorithms focus on the individuals whose fitness is rapidly increased. This accelerates the search speed of genetic algorithms by enhancing exploitation like steepest descent methods but also increases the possibility of a premature convergence that means most individuals after a few generations approach to local optima. On the other hand, derivative evaluation under a premature convergence helps genetic algorithms escape the local optima by enhancing exploration. If GAs fall into a premature convergence, random selection is used in order to help escaping local optimum, but its effects are not large. We experimented our method with one combinatorial problem and five complex function optimization problems. Experimental results showed that our method was superior to the simple genetic algorithm especially when the search space is large.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.422-427
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• 1997

Breeding efficiency was investigated to reveal crucial factors for constructing effective breeding system with subdivided populations under equal genetic level. Simulation study of selection experiment was performed for 20 generations with 20 replications each, comparing average breeding values and inbreeding coefficients between the two breeding systems; single population scheme and two population scheme, each of which had the same genetic parameters. Genetic correlations (-0.5 to 0.5) were assumed to be caused only by pleiotropic effect of a gene. Phenotypes of the two traits generated by polygenic effect with additive 36 loci and residuals distributed normally were selected by two traits selection index procedure. Comparing between the single population scheme and the two population scheme, the single population scheme showed higher genetic gain with lower inbreeding coefficient. This result was confirmed particularly for the situation of high selection intensity, high heritability and high degree of unevenness for economic weight. Genetic correlations in the single population scheme were significantly lower than the two population scheme when initial genetic correlation was negative. When terminal crossbreeding for the two population scheme is taken into account, superiority of the two population scheme was suggested. The terminal crossbreeding was effective under the situation of long term selection, existence of moderate inbreeding depression and use of less extreme economic weight.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.466-471
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• 2006

IAn important problem of pattern recognition is to extract or select feature set, which is included in the pre-processing stage. In order to extract feature set, Principal component analysis has been usually used and SFS(Sequential Forward Selection) and SBS(Sequential Backward Selection) have been used as a feature selection method. This paper applies genetic algorithm which is a popular method for nonlinear optimization problem to the feature selection problem. So, we call it Genetic Algorithm Feature Selection(GAFS) and this algorithm is compared to other methods in the performance aspect.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.1690-1694
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• 2002

Genetic parameters were estimated for birth weight and weaning weight from three year (1991-1993) data totalling 1100 records of 25 rams to 205 ewes of Indigenous Sabi flock maintained at Grasslands Research Station in Zimbabwe. AIREML procedures were used fitting an Animal Model. The statistical model included the fixed effects of year of lambing, sex of lamb, birth type and the random effect of ewe. Weight of ewe when first joined with ram was included as a covariate. Direct heritability estimates of 0.27 and 0.38, and maternal heritability estimates of 0.24 and 0.09, were obtained for birth weight and weaning weight, respectively. The total heritability estimates were 0.69 and 0.77 for birth weight and weaning weight, respectively. Direct-aternal genetic correlations were high and positive. The corresponding genetic covariance estimates between direct and maternal effects were positive and low, 0.25 and 0.18 for birth weight and weaning weight, respectively. Responses to selection were 0.8 kg and 0.14 kg for birth weight and weaning weight, respectively. The estimated expected correlated response to selection for birth weight by directly selecting for weaning weight was 0.26. Direct heritabilities were moderate; as a result selection for any of these traits should be successful. Maternal heritabilities were low for weaning weight and should have less effect on selection response. Indirect selection can give lower response than direct selection.