Search Results (11)

The roan coat color is described as the dispersion of white hairs within an otherwise solid background color coat. This phenotype is primarily expressed on the body of the horse, with the head and legs exhibiting few to no white hairs. Previous studies mapped the locus for roan to the KIT region and observed linked variants in a small number of breeds. However, utilizing those linked markers to determine the roan genotype in other breeds has seen limited success. In this communication we identify a second roan allele (RN2) which, in conjunction with a previously observed roan allele (RN1) discovered in previous studies, accounts for approximately 74%, or 188 horses, out of a sample size totaling 257 roan horses. These two alleles were present in the non-roan population (N = 3212) at less than 1%, only in horses with light coat color and dilution alleles, likely obscuring the roan phenotype. Future work is required to identify additional alleles responsible for additional roan-type horse coat color phenotypic variation. Full article

The Chinese Tan sheep is a unique breed of sheep that is typical throughout China, mainly used for fur and meat production. They are widely distributed in northwestern China and are famous for their lambskin and shiny white curly wool. In this study, the phenotypic traits of wool length, birth weight, and head coat color were evaluated in 256 Chinese Tan sheep breeds. Whole genome sequencing generated 23.67 million high-quality SNPs for genome-wide association studies (GWAS). We identified 208 significant SNPs associated with birth wool length, implicating RAD50, MACROD2, SAMD5, SASH1, and SPTLC3 as potential candidate genes for this trait. For birth weight, 1056 significant SNPs, with 76.89% of them located on chromosome 2, were identified by GWAS, and XPA, INVS, LOC121818504, GABBR2, LOC101114941, and LOC106990096 were identified as potential candidate genes for birth weight. The GWAS for head coat color identified 1424 significant SNPs across three chromosomes, with 99.65% on chromosome 14, and SPIRE2, TCF25, and MC1R as candidate genes were found to be possibly involved in the development of the black-headed coat color in sheep. Furthermore, we selected head coat color as a representative trait and performed an independent test of our GWAS findings through multiplex PCR SNP genotyping. The findings validated five mutation sites in chromosome 14 (14,251,947 T>A, 14,252,090 G>A, 14,252,158 C>T, 14,252,329 T>G, and 14,252,464 C>T) within the exon1 of the MC1R gene (517 bp), as identified by GWAS in an additional 102 Tan sheep individuals, and revealed that black-headed sheep predominantly exhibited heterozygous genotypes, possibly contributing to their color change. Our results provide a valuable foundation for further study of these three economically important traits, and enhance our understanding of genetic structure and variation in Chinese Tan sheep. Full article

The coating process involves applying a thin material layer to a surface to engender it with specific desirable properties or enhance its performance. In the production of print media (labels, packaging, printed textiles, and promotional materials), the standard functions of the coating process include visual decoration, which involves the addition of appealing colors, textures, and patterns. A pertinent issue in the printing industry is that at present, the predominant coating process uses printing and coating technologies (gravure, flexo, letterset, letterpress, screen printing, inkjet, and electrophotography) and lamination (i.e., attaching decorative layers of materials, such as films or fabrics). In this paper, we present a new method for testing the efficiency with which different-sized metalized printing elements (using gold foil) may be applied to paper substrates; to do so, we gradually vary the amount UV-cured inkjet varnish (or adhesive) that is applied. To test the effectiveness of this method in producing metallic visual effects, we utilize seven different thicknesses of UV-cured varnish with the aid of modular piezo inkjet heads (KM1024 iLHE-30) and three different printing speeds. Our research shows that to achieve optimal production of cold metalized foil, a 21 µm layer should be deposited, and the substrate should move at a speed of 0.30 m/s. Full article

Many coat color, behavioral and morphological traits are specific and fixed across cat breeds, with several variants influencing these traits being common among different breeds. In the domestic cat, rexoid mutations have been documented in several breeds. In the Cornish Rex, four bp deletion in the LPAR6 gene has been found to cause a frame shift and a premature stop codon. In addition to the rexoid coat, Cornish Rex cats also have a characteristic head, ear shape and body type. Analysis of the selection signatures in the Cornish Rex genome revealed several regions that are under selective pressure. One of these is located in CFA B4, in the region where the ALX1 gene is located. The ALX1 gene in Burmese cats disrupts the cranial morphogenesis and causes brachycephaly in the heterozygous state. In our study, we confirmed the presence of a deletion in LPAR6 in 20 Cornish Rex and in four F1 hybrids between Cornish Rex and domestic cat. However, we did not confirm the presence of the deletion in ALX1 in Cornish Rex cats. Genome-wide selection signature analysis was performed using ROH islands and integrated haplotype score (iHS) statistics based on publicly available SNP array data of 11 Cornish Rex cats. The selection signatures were detected on chromosomes A1, A3, C2, B1, B4 and D1. Full article

In this work, we present a compact LIBS sensor developed for characterization of samples on a crime scene following requirements of law enforcement agencies involved in the project. The sensor operates both in a tabletop mode, for aside measurements of swabbed materials or taken fragments, and in handheld mode where the sensor head is pointed directly on targets at the scene. The sensor head is connected via an umbilical to an instrument box that could be battery-powered and contains also a color camera for sample visualization, illumination LEDs, and pointing system for placing the target in focus. Here we describe the sensor’s architecture and functionalities, the optimization of the acquisition parameters, and the results of some LIBS measurements. On nano-plotted traces at silica wafer and in optimized conditions, for most of the elements the detection limits, in term of the absolute element masses, were found to be below 10 picograms. We also show results obtained on some representative materials, like fingerprints, swabbed soil and gunshot residue, varnishes on metal, and coated plastics. The last, solid samples were used to evaluate the depth profiling capabilities of the instrument, where the recognition of all four car paint layers was achieved. Full article

Dorper sheep was developed for meat production in arid and semi-arid regions under extensive production systems in South Africa. Two variants with distinct head and neck colors were bred during their development process. White Dorper have a white coat while Dorper have a black head and neck. Both variants have grown in popularity around the world. Therefore, understanding the genomic architecture between South African Dorpers and Dorper populations adapted to other climatic regions, as well as genomic differences between Dorper and White Dorper variants is vital for their molecular management. Using the ovine 50K SNP chip, this study compared the genetic architecture of Dorper variants between populations from South Africa and Hungary. The Dorper populations in both countries had high genetic diversity levels, although Dorper in Hungary showed high levels of inbreeding. White Dorpers from both countries were genetically closely related, while Dorpers were distantly related according to principal component analysis and neighbor-joining tree. Additionally, whereas all groups displayed unique selection signatures for local adaptation, Dorpers from Hungary had a similar linkage disequilibrium decay. Environmental differences and color may have influenced the genetic differentiation between the Dorpers. For their molecular management and prospective genomic selection, it is crucial to understand the Dorper sheep’s genomic architecture, and the results of this study can be interpreted as a step in this direction. Full article

There is a growing concern about the loss of animal genetic resources. The aim of this study was to analyze the genetic diversity and potential peculiarity of the endangered Kosovar sheep breed Balusha. For this purpose, a dataset consisting of medium-density SNP chip genotypes (39,879 SNPs) from 45 Balusha sheep was generated and compared with SNP chip genotypes from 29 individuals of a second Kosovar breed, Bardhoka. Publicly available SNP genotypes from 39 individuals of the relatively closely located sheep breeds Istrian Pramenka and Ruda were additionally included in the analyses. Analysis of heterozygosity, allelic richness and effective population size was used to assess the genetic diversity. Inbreeding was evaluated using two different methods (F_IS, F_ROH). The standardized F_ST (d_i) and cross-population extended haplotype homozygosity (XPEHH) methods were used to detect signatures of selection. We observed the lowest heterozygosity (H_O = 0.351) and effective population size (Ne₅ = 25, Ne₅₀ = 228) for the Balusha breed. The mean allelic richness levels (1.780–1.876) across all analyzed breeds were similar and also comparable with those in worldwide breeds. F_ROH estimates (0.023–0.077) were highest for the Balusha population, although evidence of decreased inbreeding was observed in F_IS results for the Balusha breed. Two Gene Ontology (GO) TERMs were strongly enriched for Balusha, and involved genes belonging to the melanogenesis and T cell receptor signaling pathways, respectively. This could result from selection for the special coat color pattern of Balusha (black head) and resistance to certain infectious diseases. The analyzed diversity parameters highlight the urgency to preserve the local Kosovar Balusha sheep as it is clearly distinguished from other sheep of Southeastern Europe, has the lowest diversity level and may harbor valuable genetic variants, e.g., for resistance to infectious diseases. Full article

A 1-month-old, female, smooth-haired miniature Dachshund with dilute color and neurological defects was investigated. The aim of this study was to characterize the clinical signs, histopathological changes and underlying genetic defect. The puppy had visible coat color dilution and was unable to hold its head on its own or to remain in a stable prone position for an extended period. Histopathological examination revealed an accumulation of clumped melanin and deposition of accumulated keratin within the hair follicles, accompanied by dermal pigmentary incontinence. These dermatological changes were compatible with the histopathology described in dogs with an MLPH-related dilute coat color. We sequenced the genome of the affected dog and compared the data to 795 control genomes. MYO5A, coding for myosin VA, was investigated as the top functional candidate gene. This search revealed a private homozygous frameshift variant in MYO5A, XM_022412522.1:c.4973_4974insA, predicted to truncate 269 amino acids (13.8%) of the wild type myosin VA protein, XP_022268230.1:p.(Asn1658Lysfs*28). The genotypes of the index family showed the expected co-segregation with the phenotype and the mutant allele was absent from 142 additionally genotyped, unrelated Dachshund dogs. MYO5A loss of function variants cause Griscelli type 1 syndrome in humans, lavender foal in horses and the phenotype of the dilute mouse mutant. Based on the available data, together with current knowledge on other species, we propose the identified MYO5A frameshift insertion as a candidate causative variant for the observed dermatological and neurological signs in the investigated dog. Full article

The aim of this research is to investigate related effect of dyeability to linen textiles related to different printing parameters. The study investigated the change in color characteristics when printing on linen fabrics with an inkjet MIMAKI Tx400-1800D printer with pigmented TP 250 inks. The dependence of color reproduction on linen fabrics on the number of print head passes, number of ink layers to be coated, linen fabric density, and different types of linen fabric was investigated. All this affects the quality of print and its mechanical properties. The change in color characteristics on different types of linen fabrics was determined experimentally. We determine at which print settings the most accurate color reproduction can be achieved on different linen fabrics. The difference between the highest and the lowest possible number of head passages was investigated. The possibilities of reproducing different linen fabric colors were determined. Full article

Ewe Neck is a relatively common morphological defect in Pura Raza Español (PRE) horses and other Baroque type horse breeds, which adversely affects the breeding industry; (1) objectives: to establish the within-breed prevalence, possible associated factors, and heritability of Ewe Neck in PRE horses; (2) methods: the database included evaluations of 35,267 PRE horses. The Ewe Neck defect, 16 morphological traits, and 4 body indices were recorded. A Bayesian genetic animal model included the following systematic effects: sex, age, coat color, geographical area of the stud, and birth stud size were used; (3) results: in this PRE population, a total of 27.12% was affected. All the risk factors studied were significantly associated with the Ewe Neck score. The heritability coefficient for Ewe Neck score ranged from 0.23 to 0.34. Morphological traits (height at chest, length of back, head-neck junction, and bottom neck-body junction) and the indices (head and thoracic index) were those most closely related with the appearance of Ewe Neck; (4) conclusions: Ewe Neck is a relatively frequent defect in PRE horses, associated with risk factors and other morphological traits, with a moderate level of heritability. Breeding to select against this condition may therefore be beneficial in this breed. Full article

In clinical practice, it is recommended to employ reusable electrodes for the registration of brain waves. Before registering EEG signals, the EEG technician checks the condition of all the electrodes, i.e., the occurrence of mechanical damage and the color of the electrode coating. It should be noticed that there is still no information on the permissible number of EEG examinations performed with one set of electrodes. After placement of the electrodes on the patient’s head, the scalp–electrode impedance is measured with the use of EEG equipment. When the scalp–electrode impedance achieves a value above 5 kΩ, it is necessary to replace the given electrode or to re-execute skin abrasion. The Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) method was used in order to estimate the permissible number of EEG examinations performed with one set of electrodes. Ten new reusable electrodes were tested. Then, the tests were repeated after subsequent uses of those electrodes. The conducted tests led us to the conclusion that the permissible number of examinations performed with one set of electrodes is up to twenty except for the gold electrodes for which it is up to ten. Furthermore, the use of the EIS method revealed variability of impedance in the case of new electrodes. Full article