Search Results (8)

Melatonin receptor MT1, encoded by the MTNR1A gene, is the main one involved in the seasonal regulation of reproductive activity. A correlation between this gene polymorphism and reproductive performance has been demonstrated in sheep. To date, no data about MTNR1A gene polymorphism are available regarding Italian goat breeds other than the Sarda goat. This study aimed to detect any PCR-RFLP polymorphic sites of MTNR1A using MnlI and RsaI enzymes in Northern Italian goat breeds, which are characterized by a pronounced reproductive seasonality. One-hundred-eight adult female goats belonging to four different breeds were included in the study (i.e., Frisa Valtellinese, n = 29; Orobica, n = 23; Lariana, n = 29; Camosciata delle Alpi, n = 27). Blood was sampled from each goat. Genomic DNA was extracted from each sample and the main part of exon II of MTNR1A gene was amplified by PCR and digested with MnlI and RsaI enzymes. Unexpectedly, none of the fragments were found to be polymorphic. The absence of polymorphism may be linked to the macro group of goat breeds that evolved during human migrations. Breeds of the Alpine–European strain would appear to show no polymorphism, as confirmed by our study, whereas breeds belonging to the Mediterranean–African or Asian–Middle Eastern strains do. Full article

The modern smart grid is a vital component of national development and is a complex coupled network composed of power and communication networks. The faults or attacks of either network may cause the performance of a power grid to decline or result in a large-scale power outage, leading to significant economic losses. To assess the impact of grid faults or attacks, hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation tools that integrate real grid networks and software virtual networks (SVNs) are used. However, scheduling faults and modifying model parameters using most existing simulators can be challenging, and traditional HIL interfaces only support a single device. To address these limitations, we designed and implemented a grid co-simulation platform that could dynamically simulate grid faults and evaluate grid sub-nets. This platform used RTDS and EXata as power and communication simulators, respectively, integrated using a protocol conversion module to synchronize and convert protocol formats. Additionally, the platform had a programmable fault configuration interface (PFCI) to modify model parameters and a real sub-net access interface (RSAI) to access physical grid devices or sub-nets in the SVN, improving simulation accuracy. We also conducted several tests to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed platform. Full article

The Janus Kinase 2 (JAK2) tyrosine kinase is an essential component of signal transduction of the class II cytokine receptors, including the growth hormone receptor. Therefore, it may play a crucial role in the signaling pathway of the somatotropic axis, which influences growth, development, and reproductive traits in ruminants. For this purpose, for three breeds of cattle (Hereford, Angus, and Limousin; a total of 781 individuals), two polymorphic sites located in exon 16 (rs210148032; p.Ile704Val, within pseudokinase (JH2)) and exon 23 (silent mutation rs211067160, within JH1 kinase domain) were analyzed. For two breeds of sheep (Pomeranian and Suffolk; 333 individuals in total), two polymorphic sites in exon 6 (rs160146162 and rs160146160; encoding the FERM domain) and one polymorphic site in exon 24 of the JAK2 gene (rs160146116; JH1 kinase domain) were genotyped. In our study, the associations examined for cattle were inconclusive. However, Hereford and Limousin cattle with genotypes AA (e16/RsaI) and AA (e23/HaeIII) tended to have the highest body weight and better daily gains (p ≤ 0.05). No clear tendency was observed in the selected reproductive traits. In the case of sheep, regardless of breed, individuals with the AA (e6/EarI), GG (e6/seq), and AA (e24/Hpy188III) genotypes had the highest body weights and daily gains in the study periods (p ≤ 0.01). The same individuals in the Pomeranian breed also had better fertility and lamb survival (p ≤ 0.01). To the best of our knowledge, these are the first association studies for all these polymorphic sites. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the JAK2 gene can serve as genetic markers for growth and selected reproductive traits in ruminants given that they are further investigated in subsequent populations and analyzed using haplotype and/or combined genotype systems. Full article

The accessibility of railway stations plays a crucial role in assessing service quality, predicting travel patterns, and developing infrastructure in the surrounding areas. This paper proposes a railway station accessibility index (RsAI) (external) that incorporates various parameters, including network performance, into a weighted measure. We reviewed different methods for measuring accessibility levels for transit systems to identify the most suitable models for this study. The primary objective of this paper is to classify railway stations into different hierarchies based on their accessibility levels and to develop an external accessibility index to measure their performance. With increasing urbanization and congestion, accessing railway stations has become more challenging, impacting railway efficiency and leading to modal shifts to other transportation systems. This paper not only identifies critical parameters but also emphasizes the need to measure and improve last-mile network performance to enhance station accessibility, thereby benefiting both passengers and the railway industry. Full article

The emergence of Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) nosocomial outbreaks related to specific bla_KPC gene variants dictates the need for applicable diagnostic methods for allele discrimination. We report here a simple method of bla_KPC-9 allele recognition based on a combination of endonuclease digestion analysis and PCR amplification using unique primers. K. pneumoniae isolates carrying the bla_KPC gene were tested. Digestion with RsaI restriction endonuclease was found to efficiently differentiate the bla_KPC-2 from the bla_KPC-9 variants into two distinct groups of digestion patterns named KPC-2-like and KPC-9-like, respectively. An additional procedure, the amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS) method, was applied to identify the variant within the same group. The principles of this procedure could be developed to identify several bla_KPC gene variants, as well as monitoring the spread and evolution of specific KPC variants within local geographical regions. Full article

Growth, carcass characteristics and meat quality are the most important traits used in the rabbit industry. Identification of the candidate markers and genes significantly associated with these traits will be beneficial in rabbit breeding. In this study, we enrolled 465 rabbits, including 16 male Californian rabbits and 17 female Kangda5 line rabbits as the parental generation, along with their offspring (232 male and 200 female), in a genome-wide association study (GWAS) based on SLAF-seq technology. Bodyweight at 35, 42, 49, 56, 63 and 70 d was recorded for growth traits; and slaughter liveweight (84 d) and dressing out percentage were measured as carcass traits; and cooking loss and drip loss were measured as meat quality traits. A total of 5,223,720 SLAF markers were obtained by digesting the rabbit genome using RsaI + EcoRV-HF^® restriction enzymes. After quality control, a subset of 317,503 annotated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was retained for subsequent analysis. A total of 28, 81 and 10 SNPs for growth, carcass and meat quality traits, respectively, were identified based on genome-wide significance (p < 3.16 × 10⁻⁷). Additionally, 16, 71 and 9 candidate genes were identified within 100 kb upstream or downstream of these SNPs. Further analysis is required to determine the biological roles of these candidate genes in determining rabbit growth, carcass traits and meat quality. Full article

Easy-to-perform, fast, and inexpensive methods of differentiation of Escherichia coli strains beyond the species level are highly required. Herein two new, original tools for genotyping of E. coli isolates are proposed. The first of the developed method, a PCR-RFLP (polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism) test uses a highly variable fliC gene, encoding the H antigen as a molecular target. The designing of universal pair of primers and selection of the optimal restriction enzyme RsaI was preceded by in silico comparative analysis of the sequences of the genes coding for 53 different serotypes of H-antigen (E. coli flagellin). The target fragments of E. coli genomes for MLST method were selected on the basis of bioinformatics analysis of complete sequences of 16 genomes of E. coli. Initially, seven molecular targets were proposed (seven pairs of primers) and five of them were found useful for effective genotyping of E. coli strains. Both developed methods revealed high differentiation power, and a high genetic diversity of the strains tested was observed. Within the group of 71 strains tested, 29 and 47 clusters were revealed with fliC RFLP-PCR and MLST methods, respectively. Differentiation of the strains with the reference BOX-PCR method revealed 31 different genotypes. The in silico analysis revealed that the discriminatory power of the new MLST method is comparable to the Pasteur and Achtman schemes and is higher than the discriminatory power of the method developed by Clermont. From the epidemiology point of view, the outcomes of our investigation revealed that in most cases, the patients were infected with unique strains, probably from environmental sources. However, some strains isolated from different patients of the wards of pediatrics, internal medicine, and neurology were classified to the same genotype when the results of all three methods were taken into account. It could suggest that they were transferred between the patients. Full article

A collection of 356 isolates of Aspergillus spp. collected during 2006 and 2007 from grapevines in northern Italy were identified through Internal Transcribed Spacer based Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (ITS-RFLP) and tested for ochratoxin A (OTA) production. Restriction endonuclease digestion of the ITS products using the endonucleases HhaI, HinfI and RsaI, distinguished five different RFLPs. From each pattern, three samples were sequenced and the nucleotide sequences showed different species corresponding to Aspergillus niger, A. carbonarius, A. tubingensis, A. japonicus and A. aculeatus. By comparing the sequences of the ITS regions, also the uniseriate species A. japonicus and A. aculeatus could be differentiated by HinfI digestion of the ITS products. Among the aspergilli, A. niger was the major species associated with grapes during 2006 (57.4%), while A. carbonarius was the major species during 2007 (46.6%). All the strains of Aspergillus were tested for their ability to produce OTA on Yeast extract sucrose medium (YES), as it was tested as an optimal substrate for the evaluation of OTA production by black aspergilli. Out of 356 isolates, 63 (17.7%) isolates produced OTA ranging from 0.05 to 3.0 µg mL⁻¹. Most of the ochratoxigenic isolates were A. carbonarius (46) in both years, but also some strains of A. tubingensis (11) and A. japonicus (6) produced lower amounts of OTA. Full article