Monitoring of genetically close Tsaiya duck populations using novel microsatellite markers with high polymorphism.

OBJECTIVE: A set of microsatellite markers with high polymorphism from Tsaiya duck were used for the genetic monitoring and genetic structure analysis of Brown and White Tsaiya duck populations in Taiwan. METHODS: The synthetic short tandem repeated probes were used to isolate new microsatellite markers from the genomic DNA of Tsaiya ducks. Eight populations, a total of 566 samples, sourced from Ilan Branch, Livestock Research Institute were genotyped through novel and known markers. The population genetic variables were calculated using optional programs in order to describe and monitor the genetic variability and the genetic structures of these Tsaiya duck populations. RESULTS: In total 24 primer pairs, including 17 novel microsatellite loci from this study and seven previously known loci, were constructed for the detection of genetic variations in duck populations. The average values for the allele number, the effective number of alleles, the observed heterozygosity, the expected heterozygosity, and the polymorphism information content were 11.29, 5.370, 0.591, 0.746, and 0.708, respectively. The results of analysis of molecular variance and principal component analysis indicated a contracting Brown Tsaiya duck cluster and a spreading White Tsaiya duck cluster. The Brown Tsaiya ducks and the White Tsaiya ducks with Pekin ducks were just split to six clusters and three clusters when K was set equal to 6 and 3 in the Bayesian cluster analysis. The individual phylogenetic tree revealed eight taxa, and each individual was assigned to its own population. CONCLUSION: According to our study, the 24 novel microsatellite markers exhibited a high capacity to analyze relationships of inter- and intra-population in those populations with a relatively limited degree of genetic diversity. We suggest that duck farms in Taiwan could use the new (novel) microsatellite set to monitor the genetic characteristics and structures of their Tsaiya duck populations at various intervals in order to ensure quality breeding and conservation strategies.

Do you put your best foot forward? Interactive effects of task performance and impression management tactics on career outcomes.

This study aims to investigate the interactive effects of task performance and impression management tactics on career outcomes from the socioanalytic perspective. Based on a survey of 195 employee-supervisor dyads from various industries in Taiwan, a hierarchical regression analysis revealed that (1) the relationship between task performance and a one-year salary adjustment was greater among employees who frequently employ ingratiation than among those who do not, (2) the relationship between task performance and a one-year salary adjustment was greater among employees who frequently employ exemplification than among those who do not, and (3) the relationship between task performance and career satisfaction was greater among employees who frequently employ self-promotion than among those who do not. This study concludes by suggesting implications for research and practice, and offers some directions for future research.

Monitoring changes in the genetic structure of Brown Tsaiya duck selected for feeding efficiency by microsatellite markers.

OBJECTIVE: Few studies have genetically monitored chickens over time, and no research has been conducted on ducks. To ensure the sustainable management of key duck breeds, we used microsatellite markers to monitor Brown Tsaiya ducks over time genetically. METHODS: The second, fourth, sixth to eighth generations of the Brown Tsaiya duck selected for feeding efficiency and control lines were included in this study to investigate the genetic variations, effective population size, population structure and the differentiation between populations over time with 11 microsatellite markers derived from Brown Tsaiya duck. RESULTS: The results showed there were a slight decrease in the genetic variations and an increase in within-population inbreeding coefficient (FIS) in both lines, but no consistent increase in FIS was observed in each line. The effective population size in the second and eighth generations was 27.2 for the selected line and 23.9 for the control line. The change in allele richness showed a downward trend over time, and the selected line was slightly lower than the control line in each generation. The number of private alleles (Np) in the selected line were higher than in the control line. Moderate differentiation was observed between the second and eighth generations in the selected line (FST = 0.0510) and the control line (FST = 0.0606). Overall, differentiation tended to increase with each generation, but genetic variation and structure did not change considerably after six generations in the two lines. CONCLUSION: This study provides a reference for poultry conservation and helps to implement cross-generation genetic monitoring and breeding plans in other duck breeds or lines to promote sustainable management.

Let Others Buy First: Identity Fusion Buffers the Effect of COVID-19 Phobia on Panic Buying Behavior From an Economic Perspective.

The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused hundreds of millions of cases and millions of deaths, resulting in the development of COVID-19 phobia. To prevent getting COVID-19, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in many countries encourage people to protect themselves via several strategies, such as wearing face masks or using sanitizers when washing hands. However, at times, such supplies for preventing COVID-19 are limited. In this study, we examine the relationship between COVID-19 phobia and panic buying behavior from an economic perspective and test if identity fusion plays a buffering role for this phenomenon. Data was collected from September 4th to November 1st in 2020 across three countries (the United States, Germany, and Taiwan). A self-report measure of panic buying behavior was developed and culturally cross-validated. Moderation analyses were conducted focusing on the study objectives. Results show that the economic factor in COVID-19 phobia predicts panic buying behavior, and this effect is buffered by identity fusion. It is worthy to note that this buffering effect emerged only in the Taiwanese sample, not in the American or German samples. Implications of identity fusion theory in human behavior are discussed.

COVID-19: Government subsidy models for sustainable energy supply with disruption risks.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic poses great challenges to the current government subsidy models in the renewable energy sector for recovering in the post-pandemic economy. Although, many subsidy models have been applied to accelerate renewable energy investment decisions. However, it is important to develop a new model to ensure the sustainability of the renewable energy supply network under disruptions on both the supply and demand sides due to hazardous events. This study investigates different subsidy models (renewable credit, supplier subsidy, and retailer subsidy) to find a win-win subsidy model for sustainable energy supply under disruption risks. The objective is to determine the optimal capacity of renewable energy added to the grid, the optimal wholesale price of the power plant, and the optimal retail price of the aggregator under different subsidy models to maximize the economic, social, and environmental benefits of the whole network. A novel scenario-based robust fuzzy optimization approach is proposed to capture the uncertainties of business-as-usual operations (e.g., some relevant costs and demand) and hazardous events (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic). The proposed model is tested in a case study of the Vietnamese energy market. The results show that for a high negative impact level of hazardous events on the supply side, the renewable credit and supplier subsidy models should be considered to recovery the renewable energy market. Further, the proposed approach has a better performance in improving the power plant's robust profit for most of the hazard scenarios than the robust optimization model.

In vitro culture and characterization of duck primordial germ cells.

This study aimed to isolate, culture, and characterize duck primordial germ cells (PGCs) and to compare these cells with chicken PGCs. We first cultured Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) circulating PGCs and gonadal PGCs (gPGCs) in the modified serum-containing medium used to amplify chicken PGCs. gPGCs were found to proliferate better in serum-free chemically defined medium than in serum-containing medium. Thereafter, gPGCs were similarly isolated from 2 other duck breeds, the Pekin duck (Anas platyrhynchos) and the hybrid mule duck (C. moschata × A. platyrhynchos), and amplified for a limited period of time in the chemically defined culture condition, but sufficiently to be characterized and transplanted. Cultured gPGCs of all 3 duck breeds were characterized by Periodic acid-Schiff staining, immunocytochemical staining, and expression analysis of germline-specific and pluripotency genes. Cultured duck gPGCs colonized the gonads after being genetically labeled and injected into recipient embryos. Taken together, these results demonstrate that duck PGCs retain their germline characteristics after being isolated, expanded in vitro, and genetically modified. Further studies are required to establish the optimal conditions for long-term culture of duck PGCs, which may involve supplementing the culture medium with other growth factors or compounds.