A common problem for genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) is lack of power for detection of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and precision for fine mapping. Here, we present a statistical method, termed single-step GBLUP (ssGBLUP), which increases both power and precision without increasing genotyping costs by taking advantage of phenotypes from other related and unrelated subjects. The procedure achieves these goals by blending traditional pedigree relationships with those derived from genetic markers, and by conversion of estimated breeding values (EBVs) to marker effects and weights. Additionally, the application of mixed model approaches allow for both simple and complex analyses that involve multiple traits and confounding factors, such as environmental, epigenetic or maternal environmental effects. Efficiency of the method was examined using simulations with 15 800 subjects, of which 1500 were genotyped. Thirty QTLs were simulated across genome and assumed heritability was 0·5. Comparisons included ssGBLUP applied directly to phenotypes, BayesB and classical GWAS (CGWAS) with deregressed proofs. An average accuracy of prediction 0·89 was obtained by ssGBLUP after one iteration, which was 0·01 higher than by BayesB. Power and precision for GWAS applications were evaluated by the correlation between true QTL effects and the sum of m adjacent single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) effects. The highest correlations were 0·82 and 0·74 for ssGBLUP and CGWAS with m=8, and 0·83 for BayesB with m=16. Standard deviations of the correlations across replicates were several times higher in BayesB than in ssGBLUP. The ssGBLUP method with marker weights is faster, more accurate and easier to implement for GWAS applications without computing pseudo-data.

1. A mixture of serum and its anti-serum has the property of fixing or deviating complement and thus interfering with haemolysis. In this there is a close analogy to the fixation of complements by cellreceptors in association with immune-bodies.

2. A large number of different complements may be fixed by the same combination of serum and anti-serum: some complements however may not be fixed.

3. The amount of homologous serum necessary to produce a distinct deviation of complement is extremely small—·000,01 c.c. and even less: as a rule it is many times less than the amount necessary to give a visible precipitate with the anti-serum.

4. When a precipitate forms, the deviating substance is present in the precipitate and may be so exclusively: precipitation is however not essential, as the deviation phenomenon may be given by an anti-serum without the formation of a precipitate.

5. The precipitin and deviation tests give results which are in great part in accord as regards specificity.

6. For any given amount of anti-serum there is an optimum amount of homologous serum which gives maximum deviation of complement: above as well as below the optimum the deviation diminishes.

7. The deviation phenomenon produces an effect similar to an “anti-complement” action and the views generally held with regard to anti-complements require revision. It is however still left an open question whether true anti-complements exist.

An enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) has been developed to detect serum Immunoglobulin antibodies G and M to Treponema hyodysenteriae in vaccinated, experimentally infected and naturally infected swine. Naturally infected swine gave ELISA titres that were similar to experimentally infected swine, but were significantly less than the titres of vaccinated swine. When serum from naturally infected swine was used to probe nitrocellulose blots of sodium dodecyl sulphate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresed whole cell proteins of T. hyodysenteriae, the immunoblotting patterns showed IgG antibodies were produced against many T. hyodysenteriae protein antigens and against lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The IgG antibodies directed against LPS were serotype-specific for that LPS and could be used to identify the serotype involved in the T. hyodysenteriae infection in that herd. IgM immunoblots also reacted with the many protein antigens but were less specific for LPS antigen, with a substantial degree of crossreaction between the LPS of all serotypes.

The data demonstrate that a microplate enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, coupled with immunoblotting, is a very specific and sensitive test for detection of antibody to Treponema hyodysenteriae in swine.

The usual approach in livestock genetic improvement is to consider the phenotype as a sum of a heritable component and a residual non-genetic component, referred to as environment, P = A + E. However, when individuals are kept in groups, the environment that an individual experiences contains a social component due to its group members. In contrast to the physical environment, this social component may have a heritable basis and therefore respond to selection. Thus, for traits affected by social interactions among individuals, current selection strategies can be improved by including the social effects of individuals in the selection decisions. Here we present some basic theory for improving traits affected by interactions, and first empirical results in three populations of layer chickens.

The radiocarbon results (and Bayesian modeling) of 15 samples of carbonized food residues removed from the external surface of rim sherds of cooking pots indicate that shellyware pottery first appeared in Perth, Scotland, around cal AD 910–1020 (95% probability) and that it had disappeared by cal AD 1020–1140 (95% probability). Previously, it had been suggested that this pottery could not date to before AD 1150. These data, together with 14C analyses carried out on leather artifacts and a sample of wattle from a ditch lining, also demonstrate that there was occupation in Perth about 100 yr or more prior to the granting of royal burgh status to Perth in the 1120s.

Background. Classification of psychosis lacks a biological basis and current diagnostic categories may obscure underlying continuities. Data reduction methods of symptom profiles within a population-based cohort of people with a wide range of affective and non-affective psychoses may permit an empirical classification of psychosis.

Method. OPCRIT (operational criteria) analysis was performed on 387 adults aged 18–65 years in an attempted ascertainment of all patients with psychosis from a geographical area with a stable population. The data were analysed firstly using principal components analysis with varimax rotation to identify factors, and secondly to establish latent classes. Information relating to key variables known to be of relevance in schizophrenia was coded blind to the establishment of the classes and dimensions.

Results. Striking correspondence was obtained between the two methods. The four dimensions emerging were labelled ‘depression’, ‘reality distortion’, ‘mania’ and ‘disorganization’. Latent classes identified were ‘depression’, ‘bipolar’, ‘reality distortion/depression’ and ‘disorganization’. The latent classes corresponded well with DSM-III-R diagnoses, but also revealed groupings usually obscured by diagnostic boundaries. The latent classes differed on gender ratio, fertility, age of onset and self-harming behaviour, but not on substance misuse or season of birth.

Conclusions. Both dimensional and categorical approaches are useful in tapping the latent constructs underlying psychosis. Broad agreement with other similar studies suggests such findings could represent discrete pathological conditions. The four classes described appear meaningful, and suggest that the term non-affective psychosis should be reserved for the disorganization class, which represents only a subgroup of those with schizophrenia.

The art of animal breeding has rapidly advanced into an exacting science including such advanced tools as Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP) and REML estimation of variance components. Unfortunately in most selection programs impacts of animal behavior are not considered, as a result those breeding programs ignore traits that may negatively impact animal welfare. The threats of ignoring animal welfare in breeding programs are three fold: first, if higher producing animals tend to be more competitive, then the effect of selection is to increase competition, which worsens animal’s welfare; second, increased competition has the effect of lowering productivity of other animals that are in direct contention, thus resulting in reduced (or negative) gains for productivity; third, genotype-genotype interactions (competition) invalidates the traditional BLUP animal model and negates many advantages of this technology and could in fact make it a liability. These threats can be addressed through alternative breeding programs.

In large families with affective illness, identification of a biological variable is needed that reflects brain dysfunction at an earlier point than symptom development. Eye movement disorder, a possible vulnerability marker in schizophrenia, is less clearly associated with affective illness, although a subgroup of affective disorders shows smooth-pursuit eye movement disorder. The auditory P300 event-related potential may be a useful marker for risk to schizophrenia, but a role in bipolar illness is less certain. The distribution of these two biological variables and their association with symptoms in two multiply affected bipolar families is described.

In a single, five-generation family identified for linkage studies through two bipolar I (BPI) probands, 128 members (including 20 spouses) were interviewed. The 108 related individuals had diagnoses of BPI (7), bipolar II (2), cyclothymia (3), or major depressive disorder (19). Eight others had generalised anxiety (1), minor depression (5), intermittent depression (1), or alcoholism (1). Sixty-nine subjects had no psychiatric diagnosis. P300 latency (81) and eye tracking (71) were recorded from a subgroup of relatives within the pedigree. Eye tracking was abnormal in 11 of 71 relatives (15.5%) and was bimodally distributed. In these 11 relatives, clinical diagnoses included minor depression (1), alcoholism (1) and generalised anxiety disorder (1). P300 latency was normally distributed and did not differ from controls. In a second family in which five of seven siblings have BPI illness, P300 latency and eye movement disorder were found in affected relatives and in some unaffected offspring. In these large families, clinical diagnoses of general anxiety, alcoholism and minor depression, when associated with eye tracking abnormality, may be considered alternative clinical manifestations of the same trait that in other relatives is expressed as bipolar illness.

Schizophrenic subjects (N = 30) performed less well than controls (N = 30) on neuropsychological tests sensitive to frontal and temporal lobe impairment and showed prolonged latency of the P300 event-related potential. Relatives of schizophrenic probands were also tested. Relatives with an abnormal P300 had a similar range of neuropsychological deficits as were found in the schizophrenic group and relatives with a normal P300 response performed as well as the normal control group. The results suggest that neurophysiological and neuropsychological testing of relatives may help to clarify the mode of inheritance of schizophrenia in some families.

P300 responses to emotive words of different hedonic tones were assessed in depressed patients (unipolar major), patients recovered from the same type of depression and normal controls. Depressed patients showed a smaller amplitude of P300 in response to negatively toned words than to positive words; normal controls showed the opposite pattern and recovered patients showed a pattern of response which resembled that of depressed patients. The experimental trials comparing responses to negative and positive stimuli in relation to neutral words showed significant differences for negative as compared with neutral stimuli, but not for positive as compared with neutral stimuli. Latencies of P300 did not differentiate depressed patients from normal controls. The results are discussed within the context of the ‘expectancy’ theory of information processing.

Field studies were conducted to determine the effect of soil surface (upper 5 cm) pH and tillage on weed control and corn (Zea mays L.) yield using simazine [2-chloro-4,6-bis-(ethylamino)-s-triazine] as the herbicide for weed control. Soil pH, weed control, and corn yield were examined under no-tillage and conventional tillage systems with and without added lime and different rates of nitrogen. Increased soil pH significantly increased weed control as compared with added lime vs. no added lime, where the surface soil pH influenced the effectiveness of the applied simazine. Soil pH had a greater effect on weed control under no-tillage than under conventional tillage. Conventional tillage significantly (P<.01) increased weed control, yield, and soil pH over no-tillage. Additions of lime as compared to unlimed treatments resulted in significantly increased weed control (83% vs. 63%), yield (5,930 vs. 5,290 kg/ha) and soil pH (5.91 vs. 5.22). The poorest weed control was observed with no-tillage on unlimed plots. A significant tillage by linear effect of nitrogen interaction for all variables resulted from a greater decrease (P<.01) in weed control and soil pH and a greater increase in yield with increased nitrogen under no-tillage than with conventional tillage.

Field studies and laboratory analyses were conducted to examine factors affecting degradation of 14C-atrazine [2-chloro-4-(ethylamine)-6-(isopropylamino)-s-triazine] under field conditions. The effects of these factors on weed control under no-tillage and conventional tillage systems were also examined. The amount of radioactivity which was unextractable in 90% methanol increased with time following treatment with 14C-atrazine. The rate of formation of unextractable 14C compounds was greater under no-tillage and increased with decreasing pH. After 14 to 18 days, a greater amount of extractable atrazine was present in areas receiving lime. The degradation of atrazine occurred more rapidly when surface pH was less than 5.0 compared with a pH greater than 6.5. The effect of lime on the amount of parent atrazine present in the soil was directly correlated to its effect on soil pH. Extractable atrazine in the soil 45 days after treatment was significantly correlated with weed control with the greatest effect under no-tillage.

The addition of simple aldehydes brought about large increases in the heat stability of both skim-milk and concentrated skim-milk over a comparatively wide milk–pH range. The coagulation time–pH minima of type A milks were completely removed by aldehyde treatment. Some sugars, which react readily as aldehydes on heating, were also shown to stabilize concentrated milk to prolonged heat treatment at 120 °C.

A progressive change takes place in the heat stability of skim-milk during concentration. At the maximum in the coagulation time (CT)–pH profile of milk concentrated to over 20% of total solids (TS) the total N depletion curve changed from single- to 2-stage and CT became insensitive to the addition of urea. Furthermore, addition of β-lactoglobulin to skim-milk concentrates destabilized the heated milk whilst the opposite effect was observed in the presence of sulphydryl-group blocking agents. As a result of these observations, it has been suggested that the mechanism of coagulation in concentrated milk is similar to that which occurs within the minimum of the CT–pH profile of skim-milk at normal levels of TS.

Additions of urea progressively increased the heat stability of milk outside of its coagulation time (CT)–pH minimum. In the region of the CT–pH minimum larger amounts of urea were required before an increase in heat stability occurred. The effect of urea was observed over the temperature range 125–140 °Cfornaturalmilk, milk which had been dialysed against synthetic sera, and milk to which a sulphydrylblocking agent had been added. Urea additions did not affect the activation energy of the heat coagulation reaction or the stability of milk to rennet or ethanol.