Estimación de parámetros genéticos para características de crecimiento en borregos Katahdin usando diferentes modelos

Genetic parameters for growth traits of Katahdin lambs were estimated using six variants of the animal model. Data on birth weight (BW; n= 13,099), weaning weight adjusted to 75 d (WW; n=11,509) and postweaning weight adjusted to 120 d (AW; n=6,886) were collected for seven years (2004-2010) in 20 states across Mexico. Analyses were carried out by ignoring or including maternal effects. The simplest model included the direct additive genetic effect as the only random effect. The most complete model included direct and maternal genetic effects, their covariance, and the maternal permanent environmental effect. Selection of the best model was based on likelihood-ratio test. When maternal effects were not taken into account, estimates of direct heritability and direct genetic variance were overestimated for all traits. Direct heritability estimates for the best model were 0.18 ± 0.03, 0.30 ± 0.04, and 0.20 ± 0.05 for BW, WW and AW, respectively. Maternal heritability estimates also varied depending on the model; estimates ranged from 0.05 to 0.23, 0.00 to 0.12, and 0.09 to 0.25 for BW, WW and AW. Ignoring maternal effects in the model would result in inaccurate genetic evaluation for growth traits in Katahdin sheep.Se estimaron parámetros genéticos para características de crecimiento en corderos Katahdin, usando seis variantes del modelo animal. Se usó información de pesos al nacimiento (BW; n= 13,099), al destete ajustado a 75 d (WW; n= 11,509) y posdestete ajustado a 120 d (AW; n= 6,886) tomada durante 7 años (2004-2010) en 20 estados de la República Mexicana. Los análisis se hicieron ignorando o incluyendo efectos maternos. El modelo más sencillo incluyó el efecto genético aditivo directo como el único efecto aleatorio. El modelo más completo incluyó los efectos genéticos directo y materno, la covarianza entre ellos, y el efecto del ambiente permanente materno. Para seleccionar el mejor modelo se usó la prueba de razón de verosimilitud. Cuando los efectos maternos no fueron incluidos en el modelo, los estimadores de la heredabilidad directa y de la varianza genética directa resultaron sobreestimados. Las heredabilidades directas con el mejor modelo fueron 0.18 ± 0.03, 0.30 ± 0.04 y 0.20 ± 0.05 para BW, WW y AW, respectivamente. Las heredabilidades maternas también variaron dependiendo del modelo, de 0.05 a 0.23, 0.00 a 0.12, y 0.09 a 0.25 para BW, WW y AW. El ignorar los efectos maternos en el modelo resultaría en una evaluación genética equivocada para las características de crecimiento en borregos Katahdin

Genome-wide association studies for methane production in dairy cattle

© 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Genomic selection has been proposed for the mitigation of methane (CH4) emissions by cattle because there is considerable variability in CH4 emissions between individuals fed on the same diet. The genome-wide association study (GWAS) represents an important tool for the detection of candidate genes, haplotypes or single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) markers related to characteristics of economic interest. The present study included information for 280 cows in three dairy production systems in Mexico: 1) Dual Purpose (n = 100), 2) Specialized Tropical Dairy (n = 76), 3) Familiar Production System (n = 104). Concentrations of CH4 in a breath of individual cows at the time of milking (MEIm) were estimated through a system of infrared sensors. After quality control analyses, 21,958 SNPs were included. Associations of markers were made using a linear regression model, corrected with principal component analyses. In total, 46 SNPs were identified as significant for CH4 production. Several SNPs associated with CH4 production were found at regions previously described for quantitative trait loci of composition characteristics of meat, milk fatty acids and characteristics related to feed intake. It was concluded that the SNPs identified could be used in genomic selection programs in developing countries and combined with other datasets for global selection

Análisis de variables morfológicas de pavos de traspatio mexicanos (Meleagris gallopavo gallopavo) = Analysis of morphological variables in Mexican backyard turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo gallopavo)

The objective was to evaluate some morphological characteristics of backyard Turkeys (n=248) coming from 126 rural production units located in 75 municipalities of 24 States of the Mexican Republic. The statistical model included sex, state, and municipality within state. The three explanatory variables affected all the response variables (P0.05). Male Turkeys had greater (P0.05). Body weight increased 143 g in males (P<0.01) and 113 g in females (P<0.01) for each centimeter increment in breast circumference. The predominant colors in the plumage, skin and tarsus were black, white and brown, respectively. The Mexican backyard Turkey presented significant sexual dimorphism and strong phenotypic correlation between breast circumference and body weight

Telomerase activity, estrogen receptors (α, β), Bcl-2 expression in human breast cancer and treatment response

BACKGROUND: The mechanism for maintaining telomere integrity is controlled by telomerase, a ribonucleoprotein enzyme that specifically restores telomere sequences, lost during replication by means of an intrinsic RNA component as a template for polymerization. Among the telomerase subunits, hTERT (human telomerase reverse transcriptase) is expressed concomitantly with the activation of telomerase. The role of estrogens and their receptors in the transcriptional regulation of hTERT has been demonstrated. The current study determines the possible association between telomerase activity, the expression of both molecular forms of estrogen receptor (ERα and ERβ) and the protein bcl-2, and their relative associations with clinical parameters. METHODS: Tissue samples from 44 patients with breast cancer were used to assess telomerase activity using the TRAP method and the expression of ERα, ERβ and bcl-2 by means of immunocytochemical techniques. RESULTS: Telomerase activity was detected in 59% of the 44 breast tumors examined. Telomerase activity ranged from 0 to 49.93 units of total product generated (TPG). A correlation was found between telomerase activity and differentiation grade (p = 0.03). The only significant independent marker of response to treatment was clinical stage. We found differences between the frequency of expression of ERα (88%) and ERβ (36%) (p = 0.007); bcl-2 was expressed in 79.5% of invasive breast carcinomas. We also found a significant correlation between low levels of telomerase activity and a lack of ERβ expression (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Lower telomerase activity was found among tumors that did not express estrogen receptor beta. This is the first published study demonstrating that the absence of expression of ERβ is associated with low levels of telomerase activity

Search for new physics in multijet events with at least one photon and large missing transverse momentum in proton-proton collisions at 13 TeV

A search for new physics in final states consisting of at least one photon, multiple jets, and large missing transverse momentum is presented, using proton-proton collision events at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb−1, recorded by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC from 2016 to 2018. The events are divided into mutually exclusive bins characterized by the missing transverse momentum, the number of jets, the number of b-tagged jets, and jets consistent with the presence of hadronically decaying W, Z, or Higgs bosons. The observed data are found to be consistent with the prediction from standard model processes. The results are interpreted in the context of simplified models of pair production of supersymmetric particles via strong and electroweak interactions. Depending on the details of the signal models, gluinos and squarks of masses up to 2.35 and 1.43 TeV, respectively, and electroweakinos of masses up to 1.23 TeV are excluded at 95% confidence level

Measurements of inclusive and differential cross sections for the Higgs boson production and decay to four-leptons in proton-proton collisions at s \sqrt{s} = 13 TeV

Measurements of the inclusive and differential fiducial cross sections for the Higgs boson production in the H → ZZ → 4ℓ (ℓ = e, μ) decay channel are presented. The results are obtained from the analysis of proton-proton collision data recorded by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb−1. The measured inclusive fiducial cross section is 2.73 ± 0.26 fb, in agreement with the standard model expectation of 2.86 ± 0.1 fb. Differential cross sections are measured as a function of several kinematic observables sensitive to the Higgs boson production and decay to four leptons. A set of double-differential measurements is also performed, yielding a comprehensive characterization of the four leptons final state. Constraints on the Higgs boson trilinear coupling and on the bottom and charm quark coupling modifiers are derived from its transverse momentum distribution. All results are consistent with theoretical predictions from the standard model

Observation of the Rare Decay of the η Meson to Four Muons

A search for the rare η→μ+μ−μ+μ− double-Dalitz decay is performed using a sample of proton-proton collisions, collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC with high-rate muon triggers during 2017 and 2018 and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 101  fb−1. A signal having a statistical significance well in excess of 5 standard deviations is observed. Using the η→μ+μ− decay as normalization, the branching fraction B(η→μ+μ−μ+μ−)=[5.0±0.8(stat)±0.7(syst)±0.7(B2μ)]×10−9 is measured, where the last term is the uncertainty in the normalization channel branching fraction. This work achieves an improved precision of over 5 orders of magnitude compared to previous results, leading to the first measurement of this branching fraction, which is found to agree with theoretical predictions

First measurement of the top quark pair production cross section in proton-proton collisions at s \sqrt{s} = 13.6 TeV

The first measurement of the top quark pair (tt¯) production cross section in proton-proton collisions at s√ = 13.6 TeV is presented. Data recorded with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC in Summer 2022, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.21 fb−1, are analyzed. Events are selected with one or two charged leptons (electrons or muons) and additional jets. A maximum likelihood fit is performed in event categories defined by the number and flavors of the leptons, the number of jets, and the number of jets identified as originating from b quarks. An inclusive tt¯ production cross section of 881 ± 23 (stat + syst) ± 20 (lumi) pb is measured, in agreement with the standard model prediction of 924+32−40 pb