eQTL analysis of laying hens divergently selected for feather pecking identifies KLF14 as a potential key regulator for this behavioral disorder.

Feather pecking in chickens is a damaging behavior, seriously impacting animal welfare and leading to economic losses. Feather pecking is a complex trait, which is partly under genetic control. Different hypotheses have been proposed to explain the etiology of feather pecking and notably, several studies have identified similarities between feather pecking and human mental disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and schizophrenia. This study uses transcriptomic and phenotypic data from 167 chickens to map expression quantitative trait loci and to identify regulatory genes with a significant effect on this behavioral disorder using an association weight matrix approach. From 70 of the analyzed differentially expressed genes, 11,790 genome wide significantly associated variants were detected, of which 23 showed multiple associations (≥15). These were located in proximity to a number of genes, which are transcription regulators involved in chromatin binding, nucleic acid metabolism, protein translation and putative regulatory RNAs. The association weight matrix identified 36 genes and the two transcription factors: SP6 (synonym: KLF14) and ENSGALG00000042129 (synonym: CHTOP) as the most significant, with an enrichment of KLF14 binding sites being detectable in 40 differentially expressed genes. This indicates that differential expression between animals showing high and low levels of feather pecking was significantly associated with a genetic variant in proximity to KLF14. This multiallelic variant was located 652 bp downstream of KLF14 and is a deletion of 1-3 bp. We propose that a deletion downstream of the transcription factor KLF14 has a negative impact on the level of T cells in the developing brain of high feather pecking chickens, which leads to developmental and behavioral abnormalities. The lack of CD4 T cells and gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors are important factors for the increased propensity of laying hens to perform feather pecking. As such, KLF14 is a clear candidate regulator for the expression of genes involved in the pathogenic development. By further elucidating the regulatory pathways involved in feather pecking we hope to take significant steps forward in explaining and understanding other mental disorders, not just in chickens.

Viral Inactivation and Biocompatibility Study of Electrically Activated Water Mist.

In addition to the ongoing global problem of healthcare-acquired infections, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose a serious threat to the health of the global population. This unprecedented pandemic situation has reinforced the need for the development of technologies that can curb the transmission of viruses among human beings and help to control the infection. Existing disinfection techniques using either ultraviolet light or harsh chemicals pose safety risks and are not suitable for use in the presence of humans. Thus, the need for a safe and effective disinfection technique that can be used in the presence of humans to control viral transmission is evident. A technique that can continuously disinfect air and surfaces in indoor environments, where the chances of viral transmission are high, can be an indispensable tool to fight such a pandemic. The Airlens Minus Corona (AMC) device provided by Persapien Innovations has been developed to achieve this goal. In this study, the antiviral functionality and biocompatibility of AMC were evaluated. Activated water mist (AWM) generated from this device was tested in vitro and in vivo for its toxicity to cell lines and in animal model. The AWM was found to be non-cytotoxic to L-929 cell lines and had no sign of clinical toxicity in an animal model (rabbit). This device was further used to inactivate animal viruses and bacteriophages. The AWM was found to be effective in the complete inactivation of influenza A H1N1 virus within 5 minutes of direct treatment. This device was also found to be effective in inactivating >90% of bacteriophage particles.

Methods for measuring water activity (aw) of foods and its applications to moisture sorption isotherm studies.

Moisture sorption isotherm is commonly determined by saturated salt slurry method, which has defects of long time cost, cumbersome labor, and microbial deterioration of samples. Thus, a novel method, aw measurement (AWM) method, has been developed to overcome these drawbacks. Fundamentals and applications of this fast method have been introduced with respects to its typical operational steps, a variety of equipment set-ups and applied samples. The resultant rapidness and reliability have been evaluated by comparing with conventional methods. This review also discussed factors impairing measurement precision and accuracy, including inappropriate choice of predryingwetting techniques and unachieved moisture uniformity in samples due to inadequate time. This analysis and corresponding suggestions can facilitate improved AWM method with more satisfying accuracy and time cost.

White matter disease in midlife is heritable, related to hypertension, and shares some genetic influence with systolic blood pressure.

White matter disease in the brain increases with age and cardiovascular disease, emerging in midlife, and these associations may be influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. We examined the frequency, distribution, and heritability of abnormal white matter and its association with hypertension in 395 middle-aged male twins (61.9 ± 2.6 years) from the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging, 67% of whom were hypertensive. A multi-channel segmentation approach estimated abnormal regions within the white matter. Using multivariable regression models, we characterized the frequency distribution of abnormal white matter in midlife and investigated associations with hypertension and Apolipoprotein E-ε4 status and the impact of duration and control of hypertension. Then, using the classical twin design, we estimated abnormal white matter heritability and the extent of shared genetic overlap with blood pressure. Abnormal white matter was predominantly located in periventricular and deep parietal and frontal regions; associated with age (t = 1.9, p = 0.05) and hypertension (t = 2.9, p = 0.004), but not Apolipoprotein ε4 status; and was greater in those with uncontrolled hypertension relative to controlled (t = 3.0, p = 0.003) and normotensive (t = 4.0, p = 0.0001) groups, suggesting that abnormal white matter may reflect currently active cerebrovascular effects. Abnormal white matter was highly heritable (a2 = 0.81) and shared some genetic influences with systolic blood pressure (rA = 0.26), although there was evidence for distinct genetic contributions and unique environmental influences. Future longitudinal research will shed light on factors impacting white matter disease presentation, progression, and potential recovery.

Genomic structure and marker-derived gene networks for growth and meat quality traits of Brazilian Nelore beef cattle.

BACKGROUND: Nelore is the major beef cattle breed in Brazil with more than 130 million heads. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are often used to associate markers and genomic regions to growth and meat quality traits that can be used to assist selection programs. An alternative methodology to traditional GWAS that involves the construction of gene network interactions, derived from results of several GWAS is the AWM (Association Weight Matrices)/PCIT (Partial Correlation and Information Theory). With the aim of evaluating the genetic architecture of Brazilian Nelore cattle, we used high-density SNP genotyping data (~770,000 SNP) from 780 Nelore animals comprising 34 half-sibling families derived from highly disseminated and unrelated sires from across Brazil. The AWM/PCIT methodology was employed to evaluate the genes that participate in a series of eight phenotypes related to growth and meat quality obtained from this Nelore sample. RESULTS: Our results indicate a lack of structuring between the individuals studied since principal component analyses were not able to differentiate families by its sires or by its ancestral lineages. The application of the AWM/PCIT methodology revealed a trio of transcription factors (comprising VDR, LHX9 and ZEB1) which in combination connected 66 genes through 359 edges and whose biological functions were inspected, some revealing to participate in biological growth processes in literature searches. CONCLUSIONS: The diversity of the Nelore sample studied is not high enough to differentiate among families neither by sires nor by using the available ancestral lineage information. The gene networks constructed from the AWM/PCIT methodology were a useful alternative in characterizing genes and gene networks that were allegedly influential in growth and meat quality traits in Nelore cattle.

Drying process of pullulan edible films forming solutions studied by ATR-FTIR with two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy.

Drying phenomenon of aqueous pullulan solutions at 50°C was investigated by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and two-dimensional correlation infrared spectroscopy. Two-dimensional asynchronous spectrum at 1800-1500cm(-1) wavenumber was resolved into three separate bands, which were assigned to aggregated water with strong hydrogen bond (AW-S), aggregated water with moderately hydrogen (AW-M) bond, and free water (FW), respectively. Curve fitting results indicated that the quantities of the three species of water were constant during the first 55min of drying process. However, the area of the three bands (at around 1047, 1022 and 998cm(-1)) varied as drying progressed, implying the formation of more-ordered pullulan chains structure, as well as increased pullulan chain-chain interactions. Further analysis using 2D asynchronous correlation spectroscopy in 1200-950cm(-1) wavenumber regions revealed the sequence of spectral changes during the drying process.