Synthesis and characterization of Sn‑doped TiO2 flm for antibacterial applications

Simple sol–gel method has been exploited to deposit Sn-doped TiO2 thin flms on glass substrates. The resultant coatings were characterized by X-ray difraction (XRD), UV–visible techniques (UV–Vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and photoluminescence analysis (PL). The XRD pattern reveals an increase in crystallite size of the prepared samples with the increasing doping concentration. A decrease in doping concentrating resulted in the decrease in bandgap values. The diferent chemical bonds on these flms were identifed from their FTIR spectra. The photoluminescence analysis shows an increase in the emission peak intensity with increasing dopant concentration, and this can be attributed to the efect created due to surface states. The prepared samples were tested as antibacterial agent toward both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria like S.aureus (Staphylococcus aureus) and E.coli (Escherichia coli), respectively. The size of the inhibition zones indicates that the sample shows maximum inhibitory property toward E.coli when compared to S.aureus

Estimates of genomic heritability and genome-wide association study for fatty acids profile in Santa Inês sheep

Background: Despite the health concerns and nutritional importance of fatty acids, there is a relative paucity of studies in the literature that report genetic or genomic parameters, especially in the case of sheep populations. To investigate the genetic architecture of fatty acid composition of sheep, we conducted genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and estimated genomic heritabilities for fatty acid profile in Longissimus dorsi muscle of 216 male sheep. Results: Genomic heritability estimates for fatty acid content ranged from 0.25 to 0.46, indicating that substantial genetic variation exists for the evaluated traits. Therefore, it is possible to alter fatty acid profiles through selection. Twenty-seven genomic regions of 10 adjacent SNPs associated with fatty acids composition were identified on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18, each explaining ≥0.30% of the additive genetic variance. Twenty-three genes supporting the understanding of genetic mechanisms of fat composition in sheep were identified in these regions, such as DGAT2, TRHDE, TPH2, ME1, C6, C7, UBE3D, PARP14, and MRPS30. Conclusions: Estimates of genomic heritabilities and elucidating important genomic regions can contribute to a better understanding of the genetic control of fatty acid deposition and improve the selection strategies to enhance meat quality and health attributes

Chromatin Organization in Sperm May Be the Major Functional Consequence of Base Composition Variation in the Human Genome

Chromatin in sperm is different from that in other cells, with most of the genome packaged by protamines not nucleosomes. Nucleosomes are, however, retained at some genomic sites, where they have the potential to transmit paternal epigenetic information. It is not understood how this retention is specified. Here we show that base composition is the major determinant of nucleosome retention in human sperm, predicting retention very well in both genic and non-genic regions of the genome. The retention of nucleosomes at GC-rich sequences with high intrinsic nucleosome affinity accounts for the previously reported retention at transcription start sites and at genes that regulate development. It also means that nucleosomes are retained at the start sites of most housekeeping genes. We also report a striking link between the retention of nucleosomes in sperm and the establishment of DNA methylation-free regions in the early embryo. Taken together, this suggests that paternal nucleosome transmission may facilitate robust gene regulation in the early embryo. We propose that chromatin organization in the male germline, rather than in somatic cells, is the major functional consequence of fine-scale base composition variation in the human genome. The selective pressure driving base composition evolution in mammals could, therefore, be the need to transmit paternal epigenetic information to the zygote

Genetic analysis of heat tolerance for production and health traits in US Holstein cows.

ABSTRACT..Heat stress reduces milk production, depresses fertility and increases the incidence of health disorders in dairy cows. Our first goal was to estimate genetic components of milk yield (MY) and somatic cell score (SCS) across lactations considering heat stress. Our second goal was to reveal genes responsible for thermotolerance. Data included 254k MY and 356k SCR test-day records of 20k Holstein cows. Multi-trait repeatability test-day models with random regressions on THI values were used to estimate variance components. The models included herd-test-date and DIM classes as fixed effects, and generic and heat tolerance additive and permanent environmental as random effects. Genetic variances for MY under-heat stress increased 3.9 and 6.5% between consecutive parities, suggesting that cows become more sensitive as they age. Heritability estimates for MY at THI 78 were between 0.17 to 0.32. Genetic correlations between general merit and heat tolerance ranged from -0.30 and -0.55, indicating production and thermotolerance are antagonistic. For SCS, heritability estimates for SCS at THI 78 were between 0.10 and 0.16. For this trait, genetic correlations between general merit and thermotolerance were always positive, ranged from +0.10 to +0.43. Whole-genome scans were performed using ssGBLUP. For MY, as expected, the region on BTA14 that harbors DGAT1 was associated with general merit in all three parities. One region on BTA15 was associated with thermotolerance across lactations; this region harbors PEX16, MAPK8IP1, and CREB3L1, genes implicated in thermogenesis and cellular response to heat stress. For SCS, regions on BTA6 and BTA29 were implicated in general udder health in all parities. These regions harbor genes, such as CXCL13, SCARB2, and FAT3, that are involved in immune response. Notably, genes DLX1 and DLX2 which downregulate cytokine signalling pathway were associated with SCS thermotolerance in all lactations. Overall, this study contributes to better understanding of the genetics underlying heat stress and point out novel opportunities for improving thermotolerance in dairy cattle. Keywords: heat stress, variance components, repeatability test-day model, ssGBLUP

Comparison of Poisson, probit and linear models for genetic analysis of number of inseminations to conception and success at first insemination in Iranian Holstein cows

The goals of this study were to estimate genetic parameters and to assess alternative models for genetic evaluation of number of inseminations to conception (INS) and success at first insemination (SF) in Iranian Holstein cows. Two models were considered for each trait: linear and probit models for SF, and linear and Poisson models for INS. Data consisted of 72,124 records of parities 1 to 6 from 27,113 cows having lactation between 1981 and 2007 and distributed over 15 large Holstein herds. Genetic parameters and goodness of fit statistics were estimated using the whole data set and predictive ability of models was assessed via a 4-fold cross-validation based on mean squared error of prediction (MSEP) and correlation between observed and fitted values. Estimates of heritability ranged from 0.039 to 0.062 for SF and 0.040 to 0.165 for INS. The performance of linear and probit models was very similar for SF. Predictions of random effects from these models were highly correlated, and both models exhibited similar predictive ability. For INS, the linear model performed better than the Poisson model according to goodness of fit statistics, but these two models showed the same predictive ability. Overall, nonlinear models did not outperform linear models for genetic evaluations of SF and INS in Iranian Holstein cows

Improving hypertension surveillance from a data management prospective: Data requirements for implementation of population-based registry

BACKGROUND: Hypertension (HTN) has become a major public health problem which can cause serious complications when it is not well-controlled. Prevention and effective care of HTN require a population-based registry. Thus, establishing this registry can be used to collect comprehensive, timely, and reliable data on epidemiology cases. The aim is to create a registry for the collection of highly required prospective data that will present an in-depth analysis of the characteristics of all individuals with HTN and track them over a particular chronological interval. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was divided into three phases: At first, a comprehensive literature review was conducted to determine the proposed data classes and data fields. Then, the final minimum data set was designed by a two-round Delphi consensus approach of 20 experts of cardiologists, nephrologists, nutritionist, and health information management. Finally, a web-based registry system was developed by a Structured Query Language environment. RESULTS: A total of two clinical and nonclinical data categories with nine data classes and 68 data fields were selected for their inclusion in the registry following the consensus phase. A web-based registry was designed with a modular and layered architecture. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides an appropriate information infrastructure for active tracing and monitoring of individuals with HTN. It has provided a practical information system allowing quality improvement, aggregate reporting for planning, and research purposes