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Feed conversion efficiency is a measure of how well an animal converts feed into live weight and it is typically expressed as feed conversion ratio (FCR). FCR and related traits like growth rate (e.g. days to 110 kg-D110) are of high interest for animal breeders, farmers and society due to implications on animal performance, feeding costs and environmental sustainability. The objective of this study was to identify genomic regions associated with FCR and D110 in pigs. A total of 952 terminal line boars, showing an individual variation in FCR, were genotyped using 60K SNP-Chips. Markers were tested for associations with estimated breeding values (EBV) for FCR and D110. For FCR, the largest number of associated SNPs was located on chromosomes 4 (30 SNPs), 1 (25 SNPs), X (15 SNPs) and 6 (12 SNPs). The most prominent genomic regions for D110 were identified on chromosomes 15 (10 SNPs), 1 and 4 (both 9 SNPs). The most significantly associated SNPs for FCR and D110 mapped 129.8 Kb from METTL11B (chromosome 4) and 32Kb from MBD5 (chromosome 15), respectively. A list of positional genes, closest to significantly associated SNPs, was used to identify enriched pathways and biological functions related to the QTL for both traits. A number of candidate genes were significantly overrepresented in pathways of immune cell trafficking, lymphoid tissue structure, organ morphology, endocrine system function, lipid metabolism, and energy production. After resequencing the coding region of selected positional and functional candidate genes, six SNPs were genotyped in a subset of boars. SNPs in PRKDC, SELL, NR2E1 and AKRIC3 showed significant associations with EBVs for FCR/D110. The study revealed a number of chromosomal regions and candidate genes affecting FCR/D110 and pointed to corresponding biological pathways related to lipid metabolism, olfactory reception, and also immunological status.

Obesity is characterized as the excessive accumulation of body fat and has a complex genetic foundation in humans including monogenic high-risk mutations and polygenic contributions. Domestic pigs represent a valuable model on an obesity-promoting high-caloric diet while constantly evaluated for body characteristics. As such, we investigated the genetics of obesity-related traits, comprising subcutaneous fat thickness, lean mass percentage, and growth rate, in a pig population. We conducted genome-wide association analyses using an integrative approach of single-marker regression models and multi-marker Bayesian analyses. Thus, we identified 30 genomic regions distributed over 14 different chromosomes contributing to the variation in obesity-related traits. In these regions, we validated the association of four candidate genes that are functionally connected to the regulation of appetite, processes of adipogenesis, and extracellular matrix formation. Our findings revealed fundamental genetic factors which deserves closer attention regarding their roles in the etiology of obesity.

The consideration of feed efficiency traits is highly relevant in animal breeding due to economic and ecologic impacts of the efficient usage and utilization of feed resources. In pigs, corresponding observations are recorded using automatic feeding stations and serve as one of the main criteria in most pig selection programmes. Simultaneously, feeding stations also generate feeding behaviour data which represent a nearly unused resource and provide a valuable proxy measure of health status, animal welfare, and management practices. In the current study, an integrated approach was applied to a feed efficiency tested and genome-wide genotyped terminal sire line population. Therefore, genetic analyses were performed combining a single-marker based approach and a Bayesian multi-marker algorithm. Major quantitative trait loci (QTL) for feeding behaviour traits comprising daily occupation time, daily feeder visit, and daily feeding rate were identified on chromosomes 1, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 14. Feed efficiency was represented by feed conversion ratio and daily feed intake revealing prominent genomic regions on chromosomes 1, 6, 9, and 11. The positional and functional candidate genes identified are involved in transport processes like AQP4 , SLC22A23 , and SLC6A14 as well as energy sensing, generation, and utilization as exemplified by PPP3CA , IQGAP3 , ECI2 , and DnaJC15 . These molecular features provide the first step towards the dissection of the genetic connection between distinct feeding behaviour patterns, feed efficiency and performance, health, and welfare traits driving the implementation of these traits in breeding programmes and pig husbandry.

The theory of intersectionality proposes that an individual’s experience of society has aspects that are irreducible to the sum of one’s various identities considered individually, but are “greater than the sum of their parts”. In recent years, this framework has become a frequent topic of discussion both in social sciences and among popular movements for social justice. In this work, we show that the effects of intersectional identities can be statistically observed in empirical data using information theory, particularly the partial information decomposition framework. We show that, when considering the predictive relationship between various identity categories such as race and sex, on outcomes such as income, health and wellness, robust statistical synergies appear. These synergies show that there are joint-effects of identities on outcomes that are irreducible to any identity considered individually and only appear when specific categories are considered together (for example, there is a large, synergistic effect of race and sex considered jointly on income irreducible to either race or sex). Furthermore, these synergies are robust over time, remaining largely constant year-to-year. We then show using synthetic data that the most widely used method of assessing intersectionalities in data (linear regression with multiplicative interaction coefficients) fails to disambiguate between truly synergistic, greater-than-the-sum-of-their-parts interactions, and redundant interactions. We explore the significance of these two distinct types of interactions in the context of making inferences about intersectional relationships in data and the importance of being able to reliably differentiate the two. Finally, we conclude that information theory, as a model-free framework sensitive to nonlinearities and synergies in data, is a natural method by which to explore the space of higher-order social dynamics.

BackgroundCytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS/HIPEC) improves survival in select patients with peritoneal metastases (PM), but the impact of social determinants of health on CRS/HIPEC outcomes remains unclear.Patients and MethodsA retrospective review was conducted of a multi-institutional database of patients with PM who underwent CRS/HIPEC in the USA between 2000 and 2017. The area deprivation index (ADI) was linked to the patient’s residential address. Patients were categorized as living in low (1–49) or high (50–100) ADI residences, with increasing scores indicating higher socioeconomic disadvantage. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS). Secondary outcomes included perioperative complications, hospital/intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS), and disease-free survival (DFS).ResultsAmong 1675 patients 1061 (63.3%) resided in low ADI areas and 614 (36.7%) high ADI areas. Appendiceal tumors (n = 1102, 65.8%) and colon cancer (n = 322, 19.2%) were the most common histologies. On multivariate analysis, high ADI was not associated with increased perioperative complications, hospital/ICU LOS, or DFS. High ADI was associated with worse OS (median not reached versus 49 months; 5 year OS 61.0% versus 28.2%, P < 0.0001). On multivariate Cox-regression analysis, high ADI (HR, 2.26; 95% CI 1.13–4.50; P < 0.001), cancer recurrence (HR, 2.26; 95% CI 1.61–3.20; P < 0.0001), increases in peritoneal carcinomatosis index (HR, 1.03; 95% CI 1.01–1.05; P < 0.001), and incomplete cytoreduction (HR, 4.48; 95% CI 3.01–6.53; P < 0.0001) were associated with worse OS.ConclusionsEven after controlling for cancer-specific variables, adverse outcomes persisted in association with neighborhood-level socioeconomic disadvantage. The individual and structural-level factors leading to these cancer disparities warrant further investigation to improve outcomes for all patients with peritoneal malignancies.

The idea of intersectionality has become a frequent topic of discussion both in academic sociology, as well as among popular movements for social justice such as Black Lives Matter, intersectional feminism, and LGBT rights. Intersectionality proposes that an individual's experience of society has aspects that are irreducible to the sum of one's various identities considered individually, but are \"greater than the sum of their parts.\" In this work, we show that the effects of intersectional identities can be statistically observed in empirical data using information theory. We show that, when considering the predictive relationship between various identities categories such as race, sex, and income (as a proxy for class) on outcomes such as health and wellness, robust statistical synergies appear. These synergies show that there are joint-effects of identities on outcomes that are irreducible to any identity considered individually and only appear when specific categories are considered together (for example, there is a large, synergistic effect of race and sex considered jointly on income irreducible to either race or sex). We then show using synthetic data that the current gold-standard method of assessing intersectionalities in data (linear regression with multiplicative interaction coefficients) fails to disambiguate between truly synergistic, greater-than-the-sum-of-their-parts interactions, and redundant interactions. We explore the significance of these two distinct types of interactions in the context of making inferences about intersectional relationships in data and the importance of being able to reliably differentiate the two. Finally, we conclude that information theory, as a model-free framework sensitive to nonlinearities and synergies in data, is a natural method by which to explore the space of higher-order social dynamics.

The search for new wide band gap materials is intensifying to satisfy the need for more advanced and energy efficient power electronic devices. Ga\\(_2\\)O\\(_3\\) has emerged as an alternative to SiC and GaN, sparking a renewed interest in its fundamental properties beyond the main \\(\\beta\\)-phase. Here, three polymorphs of Ga\\(_2\\)O\\(_3\\), \\(\\alpha\\), \\(\\beta\\) and \\(\\varepsilon\\), are investigated using X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron and absorption spectroscopy, and ab initio theoretical approaches to gain insights into their structure - electronic structure relationships. Valence and conduction electronic structure as well as semi-core and core states are probed, providing a complete picture of the influence of local coordination environments on the electronic structure. State-of-the-art electronic structure theory, including all-electron density functional theory and many-body perturbation theory, provide detailed understanding of the spectroscopic results. The calculated spectra provide very accurate descriptions of all experimental spectra and additionally illuminate the origin of observed spectral features. This work provides a strong basis for the exploration of the Ga\\(_2\\)O\\(_3\\) polymorphs as materials at the heart of future electronic device generations.