Comparative analysis of inbreeding parameters and runs of homozygosity islands in 2 Italian autochthonous cattle breeds mainly raised in the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese production region

Reggiana and Modenese are autochthonous cattle breeds, reared in the North of Italy, that can be mainly distinguished for their standard coat color (Reggiana is red, whereas Modenese is white with some pale gray shades). Almost all milk produced by these breeds is transformed into 2 mono-breed branded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses, from which farmers receive the economic incomes needed for the sustainable conservation of these animal genetic resources. After the setting up of their herd books in 1960s, these breeds experienced a strong reduction in the population size that was subsequently reverted starting in the 1990s (Reggiana) or more recently (Modenese) reaching at present a total of about 2,800 and 500 registered cows, respectively. Due to the small population size of these breeds, inbreeding is a very important cause of concern for their conservation programs. Inbreeding is traditionally estimated using pedigree data, which are summarized in an inbreeding coefficient calculated at the individual level (F_PED). However, incompleteness of pedigree information and registration errors can affect the effectiveness of conservation strategies. High-throughput SNP genotyping platforms allow investigation of inbreeding using genome information that can overcome the limits of pedigree data. Several approaches have been proposed to estimate genomic inbreeding, with the use of runs of homozygosity (ROH) considered to be the more appropriate. In this study, several pedigree and genomic inbreeding parameters, calculated using the whole herd book populations or considering genotyping information (GeneSeek GGP Bovine 150K) from 1,684 Reggiana cattle and 323 Modenese cattle, were compared. Average inbreeding values per year were used to calculate effective population size. Reggiana breed had generally lower genomic inbreeding values than Modenese breed. The low correlation between pedigree-based and genomic-based parameters (ranging from 0.187 to 0.195 and 0.319 to 0.323 in the Reggiana and Modenese breeds, respectively) reflected the common problems of local populations in which pedigree records are not complete. The high proportion of short ROH over the total number of ROH indicates no major recent inbreeding events in both breeds. ROH islands spread over the genome of the 2 breeds (15 in Reggiana and 14 in Modenese) identified several signatures of selection. Some of these included genes affecting milk production traits, stature, body conformation traits (with a main ROH island in both breeds on BTA6 containing the ABCG2, NCAPG, and LCORL genes) and coat color (on BTA13 in Modenese containing the ASIP gene). In conclusion, this work provides an extensive comparative analysis of pedigree and genomic inbreeding parameters and relevant genomic information that will be useful in the conservation strategies of these 2 iconic local cattle breeds.     

Birth traits of Holstein calves compared with Holstein,Jersey, Montbéliarde,Normande, and Viking Red-sired crossbred calves

Holstein (HO) calves, 3-breed crossbred calves of Montbéliarde, Viking Red, and HO (MVH), and 3-breed crossbred calves of Normande, Jersey, and Viking Red (NJV) were compared for gestation length (GL), calf weight at birth (CW), calving difficulty (CD), and stillbirth (SB) in 2 research herds at the University of Minnesota. Calves were born from January 2009 to December 2019. For the St. Paul and Morris herds, HO calves (n = 1,121) were compared with MVH calves (n = 1,393) from primiparous and multiparous cows. For the single herd analysis at Morris, HO calves (n = 476), MVH calves (n = 922), and NJV calves (n = 405) were compared from primiparous and multiparous cows. Primiparous and multiparous births were analyzed separately because multiparous cows had multiple births, and CD and SB are likely different traits for primiparous and multiparous cows. Statistical analysis of GL, CW, CD, and SB included fixed effects of sex of calf, herd, breed group of calf, and year-season of calving. For the St. Paul and Morris herds, HO calves from primiparous (278 d) and multiparous (279 d) HO cows had shorter GL compared with MVH calves from primiparous (280 d) and multiparous (282 d) crossbred cows. The HO calves (39.4 and 43.2 kg, respectively) from primiparous and multiparous HO cows had lower CW compared with MVH calves (40.3 and 44.3 kg, respectively) from primiparous and multiparous crossbred cows. Calving difficulty and SB were not different for HO and MVH calves from primiparous and multiparous cows. For the single herd analysis at Morris, HO calves (278 and 279 d, respectively) from primiparous and multiparous HO cows had shorter GL compared with MVH calves (281 and 282 d, respectively) and NJV calves (282 and 282 d, respectively) from primiparous and multiparous crossbred cows. The CW of HO calves (38.6 and 42.0 kg, respectively) from primiparous and multiparous HO cows was lower compared with MVH calves (39.7 and 42.9 kg, respectively), but higher compared with NJV calves (35.1 and 38.0 kg, respectively) from primiparous and multiparous crossbred cows. Calving difficulty and SB did not differ for HO, MVH, and NJV calves from primiparous and multiparous cows. The longer GL for crossbred calves and higher CW for MVH calves did not increase CD and SB for primiparous and multiparous cows. Dairy producers may implement 3-breed rotational crossbreeding systems that include the HO, Jersey, Normande, Montbéliarde, and Viking Red breeds, and some breeds may increase GL and CW without an increase in CD and SB.     

Nacre-Inspired,Liquid Metal-Based Ultrasensitive Electronic Skin by Spatially Regulated Cracking Strategy

The realization of liquid metal-based wearable systems will be a milestone toward high-performance, integrated electronic skin. However, despite the revolutionary progress achieved in many other components of electronic skin, liquid metal-based flexible sensors still suffer from poor sensitivity due to the insufficient resistance change of liquid metal to deformation. Herein, a nacre-inspired architecture composed of a biphasic pattern (liquid metal with Cr/Cu underlayer) as “bricks” and strain-sensitive Ag film as “mortar” is developed, which breaks the long-standing sensitivity bottleneck of liquid metal-based electronic skin. With 2 orders of magnitude of sensitivity amplification while maintaining wide (>85%) working range, for the first time, liquid metal-based strain sensors rival the state-of-art counterparts. This liquid metal composite features spatially regulated cracking behavior. On the one hand, hard Cr cells locally modulate the strain distribution, which avoids premature cut-through cracks and prolongs the defect propagation in the adjacent Ag film. On the other hand, the separated liquid metal cells prevent unfavorable continuous liquid-metal paths and create crack-free regions during strain. Demonstrated in diverse scenarios, the proposed design concept may spark more applications of ultrasensitive liquid metal-based electronic skins, and reveals a pathway for sensor development via crack engineering.     

A Voltage Control Method for a Distributed Line Feeder by means of Multiagent Approach

This paper proposes a method for the coordinated control of power factor by means of a multiagent approach. The proposed multiagent system consists of two types of agent: single feeder agent (F_AG) and bus agent (B_AG). In the proposed system, an F_AG plays as an important role, which decides the power factors of all distributed generators by executing the load flow calculations repeatedly. The voltage control strategies are implemented as the class definition of Java into the system. In order to verify the performance of the proposed method, it has been applied to a typical distribution model system. The simulation results show that the system is able to control very violent fluctuation of the demands and the photovoltaic (PV) generations.     

A hybrid homogeneously weighted moving average control chart for process monitoring

Several modifications and enhancements to control charts in increasing the performance of small and moderate process shifts have been introduced in the quality control charting techniques. In this paper, a new hybrid control chart for monitoring process location is proposed by combining two homogeneously weighted moving average (HWMA) control charts. The hybrid homogeneously weighted moving average (HHWMA) statistic is derived using two smoothing constants λ₁ and λ₂ . The average run length (ARL) and the standard deviation of the run length (SDRL) values of the HHWMA control chart are obtained and compared with some existing control charts for monitoring small and moderate shifts in the process location. The results of study show that the HHWMA control chart outperforms the existing control charts in many situations. The application of the HHWMA chart is demonstrated using a simulated data.     

Magnetic Resonance Signal Amplification by Reversible Exchange of Selective PyFALGEA Oligopeptide Ligands Towards Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors

The biorelevant PyFALGEA oligopeptide ligand, which is selective towards the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), has been successfully employed as a substrate in magnetic resonance signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE) experiments. It is demonstrated that PyFALGEA and the iridium catalyst IMes form a PyFALGEA:IMes molecular complex. The interaction between PyFALGEA:IMes and H₂ results in a ternary SABRE complex. Selective 1D EXSY experiments reveal that this complex is labile, which is an essential condition for successful hyperpolarization by SABRE. Polarization transfer from parahydrogen to PyFALGEA is observed leading to significant enhancement of the ¹H NMR signals of PyFALGEA. Different iridium catalysts and peptides are inspected to discuss the influence of their molecular structures on the efficiency of hyperpolarization. It is observed that PyFALGEA oligopeptide hyperpolarization is more efficient when an iridium catalyst with a sterically less demanding NHC ligand system such as IMesBn is employed. Experiments with shorter analogues of PyFALGEA, that is, PyLGEA and PyEA, show that the bulky phenylalanine from the PyFALGEA oligopeptide causes steric hindrance in the SABRE complex, which hampers hyperpolarization with IMes. Finally, a single-scan ¹H NMR SABRE experiment of PyFALGEA with IMesBn revealed a unique pattern of NMR lines in the hydride region, which can be treated as a fingerprint of this important oligopeptide.     

冷轧平整机机前甩尾轧制工艺的开发与应用

本文介绍了柳钢冷轧板带厂1550 mm单机架平整机机前甩尾轧制的工艺。改进前轧制每卷钢卷生产效率低,钢卷成材率低,改进后生产效率、成材率明显提高,部分规格的钢卷能实现带尾剪切长度为零。