Sound propagation in realistic interactive 3D scenes with parameterized sources using deep neural operators.

We address the challenge of acoustic simulations in three-dimensional (3D) virtual rooms with parametric source positions, which have applications in virtual/augmented reality, game audio, and spatial computing. The wave equation can fully describe wave phenomena such as diffraction and interference. However, conventional numerical discretization methods are computationally expensive when simulating hundreds of source and receiver positions, making simulations with parametric source positions impractical. To overcome this limitation, we propose using deep operator networks to approximate linear wave-equation operators. This enables the rapid prediction of sound propagation in realistic 3D acoustic scenes with parametric source positions, achieving millisecond-scale computations. By learning a compact surrogate model, we avoid the offline calculation and storage of impulse responses for all relevant source/listener pairs. Our experiments, including various complex scene geometries, show good agreement with reference solutions, with root mean squared errors ranging from 0.02 to 0.10 Pa. Notably, our method signifies a paradigm shift as-to our knowledge-no prior machine learning approach has achieved precise predictions of complete wave fields within realistic domains.

Identification of susceptibility loci for Takayasu arteritis through a large multi-ancestral genome-wide association study.

Takayasu arteritis is a rare inflammatory disease of large arteries. We performed a genetic study in Takayasu arteritis comprising 6,670 individuals (1,226 affected individuals) from five different populations. We discovered HLA risk factors and four non-HLA susceptibility loci in VPS8, SVEP1, CFL2, and chr13q21 and reinforced IL12B, PTK2B, and chr21q22 as robust susceptibility loci shared across ancestries. Functional analysis proposed plausible underlying disease mechanisms and pinpointed ETS2 as a potential causal gene for chr21q22 association. We also identified >60 candidate loci with suggestive association (p < 5 × 10-5) and devised a genetic risk score for Takayasu arteritis. Takayasu arteritis was compared to hundreds of other traits, revealing the closest genetic relatedness to inflammatory bowel disease. Epigenetic patterns within risk loci suggest roles for monocytes and B cells in Takayasu arteritis. This work enhances understanding of the genetic basis and pathophysiology of Takayasu arteritis and provides clues for potential new therapeutic targets.

Genetic parameters for novel climatic resilience indicators derived from automatically-recorded vaginal temperature in lactating sows under heat stress conditions.

BACKGROUND: Longitudinal records of automatically-recorded vaginal temperature (TV) could be a key source of data for deriving novel indicators of climatic resilience (CR) for breeding more resilient pigs, especially during lactation when sows are at an increased risk of suffering from heat stress (HS). Therefore, we derived 15 CR indicators based on the variability in TV in lactating sows and estimated their genetic parameters. We also investigated their genetic relationship with sows' key reproductive traits. RESULTS: The heritability estimates of the CR traits ranged from 0.000 ± 0.000 for slope for decreased rate of TV (SlopeDe) to 0.291 ± 0.047 for sum of TV values below the HS threshold (HSUB). Moderate to high genetic correlations (from 0.508 ± 0.056 to 0.998 ± 0.137) and Spearman rank correlations (from 0.431 to 1.000) between genomic estimated breeding values (GEBV) were observed for five CR indicators, i.e. HS duration (HSD), the normalized median multiplied by normalized variance (Nor_medvar), the highest TV value of each measurement day for each individual (MaxTv), and the sum of the TV values above (HSUA) and below (HSUB) the HS threshold. These five CR indicators were lowly to moderately genetically correlated with shoulder skin surface temperature (from 0.139 ± 0.008 to 0.478 ± 0.048) and respiration rate (from 0.079 ± 0.011 to 0.502 ± 0.098). The genetic correlations between these five selected CR indicators and sow reproductive performance traits ranged from - 0.733 to - 0.175 for total number of piglets born alive, from - 0.733 to - 0.175 for total number of piglets born, and from - 0.434 to - 0.169 for number of pigs weaned. The individuals with the highest GEBV (most climate-sensitive) had higher mean skin surface temperature, respiration rate (RR), panting score (PS), and hair density, but had lower mean body condition scores compared to those with the lowest GEBV (most climate-resilient). CONCLUSIONS: Most of the CR indicators evaluated are heritable with substantial additive genetic variance. Five of them, i.e. HSD, MaxTv, HSUA, HSUB, and Nor_medvar share similar underlying genetic mechanisms. In addition, individuals with higher CR indicators are more likely to exhibit better HS-related physiological responses, higher body condition scores, and improved reproductive performance under hot conditions. These findings highlight the potential benefits of genetically selecting more heat-tolerant individuals based on CR indicators.

Just noticeable difference for simulation accuracy between full and reduced order models (L).

Model order reduction techniques significantly reduce the computational time when performing accurate room acoustic simulations with numerical methods that inherently include all the wave phenomena. There is a clear trade-off between physical accuracy and acceleration, but how humans perceive these errors is unknown. This study aims to investigate physical error limit that does not induce perceptual differences. Various two-dimensional rooms and reverberation times are tested with a three-alternative forced-choice listening test. Results reveal that for the presented cases, the threshold stands between a relative root mean square error of 1% and 0.1%, where the reduced order model stimulus results in a statistically significant difference.

Genomic predictions and GWAS for heat tolerance in pigs based on reaction norm models with performance records and data from public weather stations considering alternative temperature thresholds.

Genetic improvement of livestock productivity has resulted in greater production of metabolic heat and potentially greater susceptibility to heat stress. Various studies have demonstrated that there is genetic variability for heat tolerance and genetic selection for more heat tolerant individuals is possible. The rate of genetic progress tends to be greater when genomic information is incorporated into the analyses as more accurate breeding values can be obtained for young individuals. Therefore, this study aimed (1) to evaluate the predictive ability of genomic breeding values for heat tolerance based on routinely recorded traits, and (2) to investigate the genetic background of heat tolerance based on single-step genome-wide association studies for economically important traits related to body composition, growth and reproduction in Large White pigs. Pedigree information was available for 265,943 animals and genotypes for 8686 animals. The studied traits included ultrasound backfat thickness (BFT), ultrasound muscle depth (MDP), piglet weaning weight (WW), off-test weight (OTW), interval between farrowing (IBF), total number of piglets born (TNB), number of piglets born alive (NBA), number of piglets born dead (NBD), number of piglets weaned (WN) and weaning-to-estrus interval (IWE). The number of phenotypic records ranged from 6059 (WN) to 172,984 (TNB). Single-step genomic reaction norm predictions were used to calculate the genomic estimated breeding values for each individual. Predictions of breeding values for the validation population individuals were compared between datasets containing phenotypic records measured in the whole range of temperatures (WR) and datasets containing only phenotypic records measured when the weather station temperature was above 10°C (10C) or 15°C (15C), to evaluate the usefulness of these datasets that may better reflect the within-barn temperature. The use of homogeneous or heterogeneous residual variance was found to be trait-dependent, where homogeneous variance presented the best fit for MDP, BFT, OTW, TNB, NBA, WN and IBF, while the other traits (WW and IWE) had better fit with heterogeneous variance. The average prediction accuracy, dispersion and bias values considering all traits for WR were 0.36 ± 0.05, -0.07 ± 0.13 and 0.76 ± 0.10, respectively; for 10C were 0.39 ± 0.02, -0.05 ± 0.07 and 0.81 ± 0.05, respectively; and for 15C were 0.32 ± 0.05, -0.05 ± 0.11 and 0.84 ± 0.10, respectively. Based on the studied traits, using phenotypic records collected when the outside temperature (from public weather stations) was above 10°C provided better predictions for most of the traits. Forty-three and 62 candidate genomic regions were associated with the intercept (overall performance level) and slope term (specific biological mechanisms related to environmental sensitivity), respectively. Our results contribute to improve genomic predictions using existing datasets and better understand the genetic background of heat tolerance in pigs. Furthermore, the genomic regions and candidate genes identified will contribute to future genomic studies and breeding applications.

Genomic background of biotypes related to growth, carcass and meat quality traits in Duroc pigs based on principal component analysis.

As the swine industry continues to explore pork quality traits alongside growth, feed efficiency and carcass leanness traits, it becomes imperative to understand their underlying genetic relationships. Due to this increase in the number of desirable traits, animal breeders must also consider methods to efficiently perform direct genetic changes for each trait and evaluate alternative selection indexes with different sets of phenotypic measurements. Principal component analysis (PCA) and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) can be combined to understand the genetic architecture and biological mechanisms by defining biological types (biotypes) that relate these valuable traits. Therefore, the main objectives of this study were to: (1) estimate genomic-based genetic parameters; (2) define animal biotypes utilizing PCA; and (3) utilize GWAS to link the biotypes to candidate genes and quantitative trait loci (QTL). The phenotypic dataset included 2583 phenotypic records from female Duroc pigs from a terminal sire line. The pedigree file contained 193,764 animals and the genotype file included 21,309 animals with 35,651 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Eight principal components (PCs), accounting for a total of 99.7% of the population variation, were defined for three growth, eight conventional carcass, 10 pork quality and 18 novel carcass traits. The eight biotypes defined from the PCs were found to be related to growth rate, maturity, meat quality and body structure, which were then related to candidate genes. Of the 175 candidate genes found, six of them [LDHA (SSC1), PIK3C3 (SSC6), PRKAG3 (SSC15), VRTN (SSC7), DLST (SSC7) and PAPPA (SSC1)] related to four PCs were found to be associated with previously defined QTL, linking the biotypes with biological processes involved with muscle growth, fat deposition, glycogen levels and skeletal development. Further functional analyses helped to make connections between biotypes, relating them through common KEGG pathways and gene ontology (GO) terms. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the genetic relationships between growth, carcass and meat quality traits in Duroc pigs, enabling breeders to better understand the biological mechanisms underlying the phenotypic expression of these traits.

Genetic parameters for automatically-measured vaginal temperature, respiration efficiency, and other thermotolerance indicators measured on lactating sows under heat stress conditions.

BACKGROUND: Genetic selection based on direct indicators of heat stress could capture additional mechanisms that are involved in heat stress response and enable more accurate selection for more heat-tolerant individuals. Therefore, the main objectives of this study were to estimate genetic parameters for various heat stress indicators in a commercial population of Landrace × Large White lactating sows measured under heat stress conditions. The main indicators evaluated were: skin surface temperatures (SST), automatically-recorded vaginal temperature (TV), respiration rate (RR), panting score (PS), body condition score (BCS), hair density (HD), body size (BS), ear size, and respiration efficiency (Reff). RESULTS: Traits based on TV presented moderate heritability estimates, ranging from 0.15 ± 0.02 to 0.29 ± 0.05. Low heritability estimates were found for SST traits (from 0.04 ± 0.01 to 0.06 ± 0.01), RR (0.06 ± 0.01), PS (0.05 0.01), and Reff (0.03 ± 0.01). Moderate to high heritability values were estimated for BCS (0.29 ± 0.04 for caliper measurements and 0.25 ± 0.04 for visual assessments), HD (0.25 ± 0.05), BS (0.33 ± 0.05), ear area (EA; 0.40 ± 0.09), and ear length (EL; 0.32 ± 0.07). High genetic correlations were estimated among SST traits (> 0.78) and among TV traits (> 0.75). Similarly, high genetic correlations were also estimated for RR with PS (0.87 ± 0.02), with BCS measures (0.92 ± 0.04), and with ear measures (0.95 ± 0.03). Low to moderate positive genetic correlations were estimated between SST and TV (from 0.25 ± 0.04 to 0.76 ± 0.07). Low genetic correlations were estimated between TV and BCS (from - 0.01 ± 0.08 to 0.06 ± 0.07). Respiration efficiency was estimated to be positively and moderately correlated with RR (0.36 ± 0.04), PS (0.56 ± 0.03), and BCS (0.56 ± 0.05 for caliper measurements and 0.50 ± 0.05 for the visual assessments). All other trait combinations were lowly genetically correlated. CONCLUSIONS: A comprehensive landscape of heritabilities and genetic correlations for various thermotolerance indicators in lactating sows were estimated. All traits evaluated are under genetic control and heritable, with different magnitudes, indicating that genetic progress is possible for all of them. The genetic correlation estimates provide evidence for the complex relationships between these traits and confirm the importance of a sub-index of thermotolerance traits to improve heat tolerance in pigs.

Longitudinal genomic analyses of automatically-recorded vaginal temperature in lactating sows under heat stress conditions based on random regression models.

BACKGROUND: Automatic and continuous recording of vaginal temperature (TV) using wearable sensors causes minimal disruptions to animal behavior and can generate data that enable the evaluation of temporal body temperature variation under heat stress (HS) conditions. However, the genetic basis of TV in lactating sows from a longitudinal perspective is still unknown. The objectives of this study were to define statistical models and estimate genetic parameters for TV in lactating sows using random regression models, and identify genomic regions and candidate genes associated with HS indicators derived from automatically-recorded TV. RESULTS: Heritability estimates for TV ranged from 0.14 to 0.20 over time (throughout the day and measurement period) and from 0.09 to 0.18 along environmental gradients (EG, - 3.5 to 2.2, which correspond to dew point values from 14.87 to 28.19 ËšC). Repeatability estimates of TV over time and along EG ranged from 0.57 to 0.66 and from 0.54 to 0.77, respectively. TV measured from 12h00 to 16h00 had moderately high estimates of heritability (0.20) and repeatability (0.64), indicating that this period might be the most suitable for recording TV for genetic selection purposes. Significant genotype-by-environment interactions (GxE) were observed and the moderately high estimates of genetic correlations between pairs of extreme EG indicate potential re-ranking of selection candidates across EG. Two important genomic regions on chromosomes 10 (59.370-59.998 Mb) and16 (21.548-21.966 Mb) were identified. These regions harbor the genes CDC123, CAMK1d, SEC61A2, and NUDT5 that are associated with immunity, protein transport, and energy metabolism. Across the four time-periods, respectively 12, 13, 16, and 10 associated genomic regions across 14 chromosomes were identified for TV. For the three EG classes, respectively 18, 15, and 14 associated genomic windows were identified for TV, respectively. Each time-period and EG class had uniquely enriched genes with identified specific biological functions, including regulation of the nervous system, metabolism and hormone production. CONCLUSIONS: TV is a heritable trait with substantial additive genetic variation and represents a promising indicator trait to select pigs for improved heat tolerance. Moderate GxE for TV exist, indicating potential re-ranking of selection candidates across EG. TV is a highly polygenic trait regulated by a complex interplay of physiological, cellular and behavioral mechanisms.

The importance of optimal body condition to maximise reproductive health and perinatal outcomes in pigs.

Overnutrition or undernutrition during all or part of the reproductive cycle predisposes sows to metabolic consequences and poor reproductive health which contributes to a decrease in sow longevity and an increase in perinatal mortality. This represents not only an economic problem for the pig industry but also results in poor animal welfare. To maximise profitability and increase sustainability in pig production, it is pivotal to provide researchers and practitioners with synthesised information about the repercussions of maternal obesity or malnutrition on reproductive health and perinatal outcomes, and to pinpoint currently available nutritional managements to keep sows' body condition in an optimal range. Thus, the present review summarises recent work on the consequences of maternal malnutrition and highlights new findings.

Reduced order modelling using parameterized non-uniform boundary conditions in room acoustic simulations.

Quick simulations for iterative evaluations of multi-design variables and boundary conditions are essential to find the optimal acoustic conditions in building design. We propose to use the reduced basis method (RBM) for realistic room acoustic scenarios where the surfaces have inhomogeneous acoustic properties, which enables quick evaluations of changing absorption materials for different surfaces in room acoustic simulations. The RBM has shown its benefit to speed up room acoustic simulations by 3 orders of magnitude for uniform boundary conditions. This study investigates the RBM with two main focuses: (1) various source positions in diverse geometries, e.g., square, rectangular, L-shaped, and disproportionate room, (2) two-dimensional and three-dimensional (3D) inhomogeneous surface absorption by parameterizing numerous acoustic parameters of surfaces, e.g., the thickness of a porous material, cavity depth, switching between a frequency independent (e.g., hard surface) and frequency dependent boundary condition. Results of numerical experiments show speedups of more than 2 orders of magnitude compared to a high fidelity numerical solver in a 3D case where reverberation time varies within one just noticeable difference in all the frequency octave bands.

A Functional Single Nucleotide Polymorphism in the 3' Untranslated Region of the Porcine JARID2 Gene Is Associated with Aggressive Behavior of Weaned Pigs after Mixing.

In pig production, pigs often show more aggressive behavior after mixing, which adversely affects animal welfare and growth performance. The Jumonji and structural domain-rich AT interaction domain 2 (JARID2) gene plays an important role in neurodevelopment in mice and various psychiatric disorders in humans. The JARID2 gene may impact the aggressive behavior of pigs. By observing the behavior of 500 weaned pigs during the first 72 h after mixing, the ear tissue samples of the 12 most aggressive and 12 least aggressive pigs were selected for DNA resequencing based on the intensity of their aggressive behavior. Large group correlation analysis indicated that the rs3262221458 site located in the 3'-UTR region of the porcine JARID2 gene has a strong relationship with the aggressive behavior of weaned pigs. Pigs with the mutant TT genotype of rs3262221458 have more aggressive behavior than those pigs with the GG and GT genotypes. The dual luciferase assay indicated that the luciferase activity of the plasmids containing the G allele of rs326221458 was significantly less than that of plasmids containing the T allele of rs326221458 and control groups. The binding ability of miR-9828-3p to sequences containing the T allele was less than that of sequences containing the G allele. The overexpression of miR-9828-3p in porcine neuroglial cells (PNGCs) and PK15 cells significantly decreased the mRNA and protein levels of the JARID2 gene. In addition, miR-9828-3p inhibited the proliferation of PNGCs. After inhibiting miR-9828-3p, the mRNA and protein expression levels of JARID2 increased, and the proliferation of PNGCs showed an opposite trend to the cells that forced the expression of miR-9828-3p. In addition, interference with the JARID2 gene by siRNA can effectively inhibit the proliferation of PNGCs. In summary, we found that the rs326221458 locus regulates the expression of the JARID2 gene by affecting the binding of miR-9828-3p and the JARID2 gene, thereby affecting the aggressive behavior of weaned pigs after mixing.

PHTHALATE ESTERS (PLASTICIZERS) IN THE UROPYGIAL GLAND AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO PLASTICS INGESTION IN SEABIRDS ALONG THE COAST OF ESPÍRITO SANTO, EASTERN BRAZIL.

Plastic ingestion is a problem for seabirds worldwide. In addition to direct health effects such as obstruction or perforation of the gastrointestinal tract, plastic ingestion can also lead to indirect health effects through the release of chemicals that may be absorbed and cause systemic and chronic toxicity. Among chemicals that can be released by plastics are phthalate esters, a group of chemicals widely used as plasticizers or additives to change the physical characteristics of plastics. In this study, three phthalate esters, dimethyl phthalate (DMP), dibuthyl phthalate (DBP), and diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), were quantified in the uropygial gland of 48 seabirds from 16 species collected ashore in a tropical region, the coast of Espírito Santo, Eastern Brazil. Including trace levels, DMP was detected in 16 birds (33%) from 10 species, with an average concentration of 0.014 ± 0.005 ng/µl (mean ± SD for individuals with concentrations above the practical level of detection of 0.01 ng/µl). DBP was detected in 15 birds (31%) from 11 species, with an average concentration of 0.049 ± 0.032 ng/µl. DEHP was detected in 21 birds (44%) from 11 species, with an average concentration of 0.115 ± 0.105 ng/µl. DMP concentration in the uropygial gland was positively associated with the presence, number, and mass of plastic items in the upper digestive tract. However, no such relationship was noted for DBP nor DEHP, suggesting the concentration of phthalate compounds in the uropygial gland might not always serve as a reliable proxy for plastic ingestion. In spite of relatively high frequencies of detection, the low concentrations of phthalates detected in this study suggest levels of exposure below known toxicity thresholds. Further studies on the potential adverse effects of phthalate exposure in seabirds are necessary, especially on the reproductive development of embryos and chicks.

Polyethylene microplastics and substrate availability can affect emergence responses of the freshwater insect Chironomus sancticaroli.

Pollution caused by polyethylene microplastics (MP) has been reported for aquatic environments worldwide. However, despite recurrent research for several aquatic organisms, the effects of MP on the emergence stage of freshwater insects from tropical environments are little known. This study is the first to assess the emergence of the Brazilian native species Chironomus sancticaroli Strixino & Strixino, 1981 when exposed to primary polyethylene microplastics (size 40-48 µm). We performed two exposure scenarios, with a substrate (standard assays) and without substrate (as a stressful experience), and recorded emergence responses. The MP did not affect the species' emergence rate, but these rates were statistically different for the standard and stressful exposure scenarios. In bioassays without substrate, the high concentrations of MP caused anticipation of the insect's emergence (5-6 days). On the other hand, female emergence time was longer than males in standard bioassays. The substrate absence caused a slight increase in the left female wing's length and the potential female fecundity. These findings suggest that the polyethylene microplastics and substrate availability can affect the emergence dynamics of the tropical insect C. sancticaroli.

Schools reopening and the COVID-19 pandemic: a case study from Macaé, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Since the first reported case of COVID-19 in Brazil, the public and private educational system started to close. Up to November 2020, scientific discussions about the return of schooling activities have been rarely performed by the national scientific community and police-makers. The great delay of school returning in Brazil contrasts with successful international strategies of school reopening worldwide and seems counterintuitive with the reopening of non-essential activities. Here, important issues to be considered before and during school reopening are reviewed and discussed. COVID-19 testing is essential to avoid disease spreading, but high cost of individual RT-qPCRs impairs an extensive testing strategy for school returning. To reduce costs and increase the speed of diagnosis, we tested the efficiency of a pooled-sample PCR strategy in a cohort of the educational staff in the city of Macaé/RJ, finding five asymptomatic individuals (0,66%) among the 754 people tested. Thus, a polled-sample PCR testing strategy of the educational staff might prevent infection spreading in schools at a reasonable cost. We discuss how our test strategy could be coupled with internationally recognized safety rules to allow for a safe school return and how countries from different world regions are dealing with educational activities during COVID-19 pandemic.

Reduced basis methods for numerical room acoustic simulations with parametrized boundaries.

The use of model-based numerical simulations of wave propagation in rooms for engineering applications requires that acoustic conditions for multiple parameters are evaluated iteratively, which is computationally expensive. We present a reduced basis method (RBM) to achieve a computational cost reduction relative to a traditional full-order model (FOM) for wave-based room acoustic simulations with parametrized boundaries. The FOM solver is based on the spectral-element method; however, other numerical methods could be applied. The RBM reduces the computational burden by solving the problem in a low-dimensional subspace for parametrized frequency-independent and frequency-dependent boundary conditions. The problem is formulated in the Laplace domain, which ensures the stability of the reduced-order model (ROM). We study the potential of the proposed RBM in terms of computational efficiency, accuracy, and storage requirements, and we show that the RBM leads to 100-fold speedups for a two-dimensional case and 1000-fold speedups for a three-dimensional case with an upper frequency of 2 and 1 kHz, respectively. While the FOM simulations needed to construct the ROM are expensive, we demonstrate that the ROM has the potential of being 3 orders of magnitude faster than the FOM when four different boundary conditions are simulated per room surface.

Global occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 in environmental aquatic matrices and its implications for sanitation and vulnerabilities in Brazil and developing countries.

This paper includes a systematic review of the SARS-CoV-2 occurrence in environmental aquatic matrices and a critical sanitation analysis. We discussed the interconnection of sanitation services (wastewater, water supply, solid waste, and stormwater drainage) functioning as an important network for controlling the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in waters. We collected 98 studies containing data of the SARS-CoV-2 occurrence in aquatic matrices around the world, of which 40% were from developing countries. Alongside a significant number of people infected by the virus, developing countries face socioeconomic deficiencies and insufficient public investment in infrastructure. Therefore, our study focused on highlighting solutions to provide sanitation in developing countries, considering the virus control in waters by disinfection techniques and sanitary measures, including alternatives for the vulnerable communities. The need for multilateral efforts to improve the universal coverage of sanitation services demands urgent attention in a pandemic scenario.

Genotype-by-environment interactions for reproduction, body composition, and growth traits in maternal-line pigs based on single-step genomic reaction norms.

BACKGROUND: There is an increasing need to account for genotype-by-environment (G × E) interactions in livestock breeding programs to improve productivity and animal welfare across environmental and management conditions. This is even more relevant for pigs because selection occurs in high-health nucleus farms, while commercial pigs are raised in more challenging environments. In this study, we used single-step homoscedastic and heteroscedastic genomic reaction norm models (RNM) to evaluate G × E interactions in Large White pigs, including 8686 genotyped animals, for reproduction (total number of piglets born, TNB; total number of piglets born alive, NBA; total number of piglets weaned, NW), growth (weaning weight, WW; off-test weight, OW), and body composition (ultrasound muscle depth, MD; ultrasound backfat thickness, BF) traits. Genetic parameter estimation and single-step genome-wide association studies (ssGWAS) were performed for each trait. RESULTS: The average performance of contemporary groups (CG) was estimated and used as environmental gradient in the reaction norm analyses. We found that the need to consider heterogeneous residual variance in RNM models was trait dependent. Based on estimates of variance components of the RNM slope and of genetic correlations across environmental gradients, G × E interactions clearly existed for TNB and NBA, existed for WW but were of smaller magnitude, and were not detected for NW, OW, MD, and BF. Based on estimates of the genetic variance explained by the markers in sliding genomic windows in ssGWAS, several genomic regions were associated with the RNM slope for TNB, NBA, and WW, indicating specific biological mechanisms underlying environmental sensitivity, and dozens of novel candidate genes were identified. Our results also provided strong evidence that the X chromosome contributed to the intercept and slope of RNM for litter size traits in pigs. CONCLUSIONS: We provide a comprehensive description of G × E interactions in Large White pigs for economically-relevant traits and identified important genomic regions and candidate genes associated with GxE interactions on several autosomes and the X chromosome. Implementation of these findings will contribute to more accurate genomic estimates of breeding values by considering G × E interactions, in order to genetically improve the environmental robustness of maternal-line pigs.

Whole-beam self-focusing in fusion-relevant plasma.

Fast ignition inertial confinement fusion requires the production of a low-density channel in plasma with density scale-lengths of several hundred microns. The channel assists in the propagation of an ultra-intense laser pulse used to generate fast electrons which form a hot spot on the side of pre-compressed fusion fuel. We present a systematic characterization of an expanding laser-produced plasma using optical interferometry, benchmarked against three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations. Magnetic fields associated with channel formation are probed using proton radiography, and compared to magnetic field structures generated in full-scale particle-in-cell simulations. We present observations of long-lived, straight channels produced by the Habara-Kodama-Tanaka whole-beam self-focusing mechanism, overcoming a critical barrier on the path to realizing fast ignition. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Prospects for high gain inertial fusion energy (part 2)'.

Preparations for a European R&D roadmap for an inertial fusion demo reactor.

A European consortium of 15 laboratories across nine nations have worked together under the EUROFusion Enabling Research grants for the past decade with three principle objectives. These are: (a) investigating obstacles to ignition on megaJoule-class laser facilities; (b) investigating novel alternative approaches to ignition, including basic studies for fast ignition (both electron and ion-driven), auxiliary heating, shock ignition, etc.; and (c) developing technologies that will be required in the future for a fusion reactor. A brief overview of these activities, presented here, along with new calculations relates the concept of auxiliary heating of inertial fusion targets, and provides possible future directions of research and development for the updated European Roadmap that is due at the end of 2020. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Prospects for high gain inertial fusion energy (part 2)'.

Reproductive tract neoplasia in adult female Asian elephants (Elephas maximus).

Recent reports have highlighted a lower-than-expected prevalence of neoplasia in elephants and suggested mechanisms for cancer resistance. But despite infrequent reports in the literature, uterine neoplasia is common in managed Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). This study is an archival review of reproductive tract neoplasia in 80 adult female Asian elephant mortalities in managed care facilities in the United States from 1988 to 2019. Neoplasms occurred in 64/80 (80%) of cases. Most were in the uterus (63/64; 98%) with only a single case of ovarian neoplasia. Myometrial leiomyomas were present in 57/63 (90%) cases with uterine neoplasia. Uterine adenocarcinoma was present in 8/63 (13%) cases. Remaining cases included endometrial adenoma (2), focal carcinoma in situ in endometrial polyps (1), anaplastic carcinoma (1), endometrial hemangioma (1), primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET; 1), and angiosarcoma (1). One case with uterine adenocarcinoma had a separate pelvic mass histologically characterized as an anaplastic sarcoma. Distant metastases were documented in 5/8 (63%) cases of uterine adenocarcinoma, and in the uterine anaplastic carcinoma, PNET, and angiosarcoma. Four uterine adenocarcinomas and one carcinoma in situ were examined immunohistochemically for pan-cytokeratin, vimentin, and estrogen receptor. In all, neoplastic cells were pan-cytokeratin positive and vimentin negative, and in 2 cases were immunoreactive for estrogen receptor. Results show that female reproductive tract neoplasia, particularly of the uterus, is common in Asian elephants and is not limited to leiomyomas. Importantly, uterine neoplasms have the potential to impact fecundity and may represent obstacles to conservation in managed care.