Recent advances in understanding genetic variants associated with growth, carcass and meat productivity traits in sheep (Ovis aries): an update.

peer reviewedIdentification of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and candidate genes that affect growth intensity is a prerequisite for the marker-assisted selection of economically important traits. The number of QTL studies on sheep is relatively small in comparison to those on cattle and pigs. The current QTL sheep database - Sheep QTLdb - contains information on 1658 QTLs for 225 different traits. A few genes and markers associated with growth, carcass and meat productivity traits have been reported. The information about QTLs from the Sheep QTLdb cannot be directly used in marker-assisted selection due to the lack of essential information such as effective and reference alleles, the effect direction etc., and it requires manual curation and validation. In this study we performed a comprehensive search for QTLs focusing on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with growth and meat traits in sheep. The database contains information about 156 SNP-trait associations (123 unique SNPs) and a list of 165 associated genes. The updated information is freely available at https://github.com/Defrag1236/Ovines_2018 (last access: 18 September 2019). This information can be useful for further association studies and preliminary estimation of genetic variability for economically important traits in different breeds

Constraints to development: The case of Dharavi

Dharavi, once known as the largest slum in Asia, has been up for redevelopment since early 2000s, however till date the state has made little progress. The ethnographic focus of this essay identifies factors that contribute to slum’s persistent existence, namely migration and social stigma.  The projected images and their symbolic representations, such as of Mumbai as a global and modern city, and slums as the lowest layer of the society, are embedded in Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP), while at the same time are the very reasons that hinder redevelopment plans and reinforce migration and social stigma.The latter is embedded in the term ‘slum’ itself, and plays a crucial role in the inability to market Dharavi effectively to potential investors. Using theoretical frameworks I will connect those issues to the discourse of modernity, globalization and urbanization, while retaining the focus on the specificities that are particular to Mumbai and India

Toward failure analyses in systems biology

Parallels between designed and biological systems with respect to formal failure analyses have been presented. Failure analysis in designed systems depends on an identified, limited set of parameters or operation variables with high predictive value. In contrast, the biological systems pose problems in identification of operation variables and the identified variables may not be accurate predictors of failure. The difficulty in parameter identification is because of large numbers of components and the inability to envelope variables at each compartment or contour level. Contour level maps for biological systems are currently non-existent, and most failure models are based on very limited, unilateral operation variables (a mutant gene). Operation variable identification within each contour level will enhance failure analyses of complex biological systems