Average Ho Research Articles

Micronutrients supplementation and the outcome in preterm neonates in a tertiary health centre

Approximately 15 mil[1]lion babies are born preterm each year.1 Preterm infants commonly experience postnatal growth failure due to insufficient intake of micro[1]nutrients. We aim to determine the outcome of preterm neonates that received micronutrients. Methods: The study subjects com[1]prised of 210 preterm neonates admitted to (SCBU) of Federal Medical Centre, Brinin kebbi, Kebbi State from 1st June 2020 to 30st May, 2022. The subjects were randomized into two groups; 100 preterm neonates (Study group) received micronutrients (Reload; Reload Brands, LLC, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA) while, 110 preterm neonates (Control group) did not receive micronutrients. Biodata and other important information were obtained. All the babies (210) received the usual treatment protocol of preterm admitted to our SCBU. Ethical ap[1]proval was obtained from the Research and Ethics Committee. Results: Birth weights of the 210 neonates ranged from 800grams to the highest 2500grams with mean CC –BY 4.0 birth weight of 1.54kg ±0.95. Av[1]erage daily weight gains in 71% of the study subjects ranged from 25grams to a maximum of 29 grams per day while, in the non- micronutrients group, 54% had daily weight gain range of 10- 14grams per day (p = 0.001). Twelve (12%) of the Micronutrient group (MG) and 30% 0f the Non-Micronutrient group (NMG) had need for blood transfusion respectively (p = 0.002). The average ho sp ital stay wa s 22.95±9.68; hospital stay for the MG was 8 to 21 days while that of the NMG was 22 to 42 days (p = 0.001). C o n c l u s i o n s : M i c r o n u t r i - ents intake were in consistent with optimal weight gain, shorter hospital stay and lower need for blood transfusion in preterm newborns. Recommendations: We recommend early commencement of mi c r o n u t r i e n t s u p p leme n t (Reloads) in preterm babies.

Integrated Discriminant Evaluation of Molecular Genetic Markers and Genetic Diversity Parameters of Endangered Balearic Dog Breeds.

The genetic diversity analysis of six dog breeds, including Ca de Bestiar (CB), Ca de Bou (CBOU), Podenco Ibicenco (PI), Ca Rater (CR), Ca Mè (CM), and Ca de Conills (CC), reveals insightful findings. CB showcases the highest mean number of alleles (6.17) and heterozygosity values, with significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) observed in five markers, indicating high intra-racial genetic diversity (average observed heterozygosity (Ho) = 0.754, expected heterozygosity (He) = 0.761). In contrast, CBOU presents the lowest mean number of alleles (5.05) and heterozygosity values, coupled with moderate polymorphic information content (PIC) values and a moderate level of intra-racial genetic diversity (average Ho = 0.313, He = 0.394). PI demonstrates moderate genetic diversity with an average of 5.75 alleles and highly informative PIC values, while CR displays robust genetic diversity with an average of 6.61 alleles and deviations from equilibrium, indicating potential risks of inbreeding (average Ho = 0.563, He = 0.658). CM exhibits moderate genetic diversity and deviations from equilibrium, similar to CBOU, with an average of 6.5 alleles and moderate PIC values (average Ho = 0.598, He = 0.676). Conversely, CC shows a wider range of allelic diversity and deviations from equilibrium (average Ho = 0.611, He = 0.706), suggesting a more diverse genetic background. Inter-racial analysis underscores distinct genetic differentiation between breeds, emphasizing the importance of informed breeding decisions and proactive genetic management strategies to preserve diversity, promote breed health, and ensure long-term sustainability across all breeds studied.

High genetic diversity and weak population structure of Leptobotia elongata from different markers

To study genetic diversity and population structure of Leptobotia elongata in China, nine populations in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River (Lizhuang (LZ), Jiangnan (JN), Yalong (YL), Xuifeng (XF), Chengjiang (CJ), Xiqu (XQ), Chuxiong (CX), Shizhu (SZ), and Pingshan (PS)) were analogized base on D-Loop gene and nuclear gene. The results showed that 81 mutation sites and 64 haplotypes were detected in 246 D-Loop sequences, and the average haplotype diversity (Hd) and average nucleotide diversity (Pi) were 0.878 and 0.0029, respectively. For L. elongata population, the average number of Alleles per locus was 6.68, the average PIC of each locus was 0.818, the average Shannon index was 1.28, the average Ho was 0.798, and the average He was 0.844. Molecular analysis of variance (AMOVA) showed that Fst > 0.5, There were no individuals independently assigned to one group, and individuals at each sampling site showed similar patterns, with no significantly differentiated geographical groups in Structure analysis. These results can provide an important scientific basis for the protection of L. elongata and wild species with similar life histories.

Fuzzy Logic for the Improving of Handover Decision and the Adaptive Adjustment of Control Parameters in 5G Wireless Networks

Handover process is one of the most important aspects of mobility management in 5G wireless networks. It becomes a hot topic for researchers because it constitutes a guarantee of communication continuity during the user's movement, in addition to being the basic step on which the mobility load balancing process depends to distribute the load between the cells. The focus on this process is whether by providing solutions to improve the handover decision-making, or by modifying the values of the handover control parameters in a way that it guarantees the reduction of handover problems, because the inaccurate or unnecessary modification of these parameters values will cause a degradation in the quality of service. This paper presents a study targeting two mechanisms to improve handover decision-making and selection of handover control parameters adaptively based on different schemes. The first one, based on a learning model called LIM2 and the second one is based on fuzzy logic and is called RHOT-FLC. The results show that the RHOT-FLC mechanism, which relies on fuzzy logic and takes into account the user's velocity provides better performance in term of average throughput, packet drop rate, average HOPP probability, average HO latency, HO failure.

The Correlation Between Students’ Vocabulary Mastery and Reading Comprehension at the Eighth-Grade Students of SMPN 2 Sojol

The research aims to determine whether there was a correlation between vocabulary mastery and reading comprehension. The study used a simple random sampling technique, namely, taken 30 students in class VIII B. However, the correlation criterion between 0.60 and 0.80 was considered very high. The researchers concluded that rxy = 0.797 and N 30 at a 5% correlation significance is 0,361. Therefore, based on the Pearson Product Moment formula, compared to the rtable, the study found that rcount higher than rtable (0.361), the average Ho was rejected, and Ha was accepted. To sum up, the final results exhibited a correlation between students' vocabulary mastery and reading comprehension.

Development of a 17-Plex of Penta- and Tetra-Nucleotide Microsatellites for DNA Profiling and Paternity Testing in Horses.

Tetranucleotide and pentanucleotide short tandem repeat (hereafter termed tetraSTR and pentaSTR) polymorphisms have properties that make them desirable for DNA profiling and paternity testing. However, certain species, such as the horse, have far fewer tetraSTRs than other species and for this reason dinucleotide STRs (diSTRs) have become the standard for DNA profiling in horses, despite being less desirable for technical reasons. During our testing of a series of candidate genes as potentially underlying a heritable condition characterized by megaesophagus in the Friesian horse breed, we found that good tetraSTRs do exist in horses but, as expected, at a much lower frequency than in other species, e.g., dogs and humans. Using a series of efficient methods developed in our laboratory for the production of multiplexed tetraSTRs in other species, we identified a set of tetra- and pentaSTRs that we developed into a 17-plex panel for the horse, plus a sex-identifying marker near the amelogenin gene. These markers were tested in 128 horses representing 16 breeds as well as crossbred horses, and we found that these markers have useful genetic variability. Average observed heterozygosities (Ho) ranged from 0.53 to 0.89 for the individual markers (0.66 average Ho for all markers), and 0.62-0.82 for expected heterozygosity (He) within breeds (0.72 average He for all markers). The probability of identity (PI) within breeds for which 10 or more samples were available was at least 1.1 x 10−11, and the PI among siblings (PIsib) was 1.5 x 10−5. Stutter was ≤ 11% (average stutter for all markers combined was 6.9%) compared to the more than 30% typically seen with diSTRs. We predict that it will be possible to develop accurate allelic ladders for this multiplex panel that will make cross-laboratory comparisons easier and will also improve DNA profiling accuracy. Although we were only able to exclude candidate genes for Friesian horse megaesophagus with no unexcluded genes that are possibly causative at this point in time, the study helped us to refine the methods used to develop better tetraSTR multiplexed panels for species such as the horse that have a low frequency of tetraSTRs.

Genetic diversity and population structure of Cinnamomum balansae Lecomte inferred by microsatellites.

Cinnamomum balansae Lecomte (Lauraceae), an economically important forest tree, is distributed in the tropical forests of central and northern Vietnam, which has been threatened in recent decades due to the destruction of its habitat and over-exploitation. The genetic diversity and population structure of the species have not been fully evaluated. We used a set of 15 microsatellites to analyze 161 adult trees from 9 different populations, representing the geographical distribution of C. balansae. Ninety-two different alleles were identified. Here our results showed a low genetic diversity level with an average H o = 0.246 and H e = 0.262, and a high level of genetic differentiation (F ST = 0.601). The bottleneck tests indicated evidence of a reduction in the population size of the two populations (TC and CP). Additionally, all three clustering methods (Bayesian analysis, principal coordinate analysis, and Neighbor-joining tree) were identified in the two genetic groups. The Mantel test showed a significant positive correlation between genetic distance and geographic distance (R 2 = 0.7331). This study will provide a platform for the conservation of C. balansae both in ex-situ and in-situ plans.

Assessment of A1 and A2 variants in the CNS2 gene of some cattle breeds by using ACRS-PCR method

The aim of this study is to reveal β-casein polymorphism of some cattle breeds and also the potential to produce A2 milk from existing animals and to develop strategies in this area. Therefore, a total of 400 cattle, 100 animals from each breed of Holstein, Brown Swiss, Jersey and Simmental raised commonly in Turkey, were obtained, and C > A polymorphism in 67th amino acid in the 7th exons of β-casein gene was determined by TaqI enzyme with PCR-ACRS method. Blood samples were collected from dairy cattle farms raising Holstein, Brown Swiss and Jersey breeds from Konya province and Simmental breed from Kütahya province in Turkey. A1 and A2 allele frequencies in Holstein, Brown Swiss, Jersey and Simmental cattle breeds were determined as 0.475/0.525, 0.370/0.630, 0.215/0.785 and 0.440/0.560, respectively. The highest A2 allele frequency (0.785) was found in Jersey breed. A1A1 genotypes in Holstein, Brown Swiss, Jersey and Simmental breeds were 0.240, 0.150, 0.030 and 0.160, respectively; A1A2 genotypes were 0.470, 0.440, 0.370 and 0.560, respectively; A2A2 genotypes were determined as 0.290, 0.410, 0.600 and 0.280, respectively. In these breeds, the highest A2A2 genotype frequency was found in Jersey (0.600), the lowest A1A1 genotype frequency (0.030) was found in Jersey and the highest A1A2 genotype frequency (0.560) was found in Simmental. Holstein, Brown Swiss, Simmental and Jersey populations were at the level of Hardy-Weinberg in terms of β-casein gene (p > 0.05). The average Ho, He and PIC values were calculated as 0.460, 0.469 and 0.605, respectively. In conclusion, the frequency of commonly reared cattles in Turkey especially Brown Swiss, and Jersey breeds in A2A2 genotype are satisfactory, but it can be said that the use of animals with A2 allele in selection is extremely important for increasing A2 milk producing potential in the future.

Genetic diversity and population structure of apple germplasm from Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey by SSRs

Turkey has a diverse apple germplasm and Northeastern Anatolia had great contributions to domestication of the Malus genus. Despite quite high rainfall (900–2300 mm) and humidity (70–85%) levels, several local apple cultivars have been successfully grown for centuries at the coastal zone of Eastern Black Sea region of Northeastern Anatolia without any pesticide applications. In this study, a set of 206 local genotypes, including 6 international cultivars as references was analyzed using 13 SSR primers with the aim of assessing the genetic diversity and population structure among the genotypes. Bayesian genetic structure analysis was used to reveal differentiation of the groups and the results were confirmed by factorial correspondence analysis (FCA). A total of 234 alleles (average 18) were generated by 13 SSR markers. CH02c06 was the most informative (PI: 0.017) and CH03g07 was the least informative (PI: 0.07) locus. The average He was 0.859 with a range of 0.775–0.929 and the average Ho was 0.760 with a range of 0.556–0.872. Considerable genetic variation was detected among the genotypes and genetic similarity varied between 11 and 96%. A Bayesian genetic structure analysis indicated three subpopulations (K) and admixture among the accessions. Several loci yielded three alleles in 39 accessions. No synonyms or identical cultivars were detected but several genotypes known by the same names formed 22 homonym groups. The present SSR data will have great contributions to future germplasm management efforts as well as to further comparative studies that investigate genetic relationships among the local apples of Northeastern Anatolia.

GENETIC DIVERSITY EEL Anguilla marmorata BY RAPD IN THUA THIEN HUE PROVINCE, VIETNAM

Anguilla marmorata is a species with high economic value and increasingly interested by organizations and scientists. So far, many of the eel's biological characteristics remain mysterious, and they are often classified according to morphological features such as pigmentation patches, number of vertebrae, ... It is even difficult to distinguish one individual from another in some species, especially in the larval stage. In this study, the Random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) molecular marker was used to evaluate the genetic diversity of 48 eels collected in Thua Thien Hue province. Results showed that the genetic diversity of individuals in the Eel population studied is quite high. With 8 random primers via PCR, 77 DNA tapes with 76 polymorphic tapes were obtained, the tape size ranged from 170-2,500 bp, in which primer S10 showed the highest diversity with an average Ho value of 0.563, followed by primer S8 (Ho = 0.558). The lowest diversity was in the OPD5 primer (Ho = 0.300). The OPG17 primer is the primer that produces the most polymorphic tapes (13/13 tapes) and the S3 primer for the least amplified tapes polymorphism (9/10 DNA tapes). The diversity coefficient in each random primer ranged from about 0.300 to 0.563, with an average of 0.433. The genetic variation in the Eel population is random. Genetic variation can be attributed mainly to different eel breeding conditions and origins. Genetic similarity coefficients among the Eels varied from 0.660 to 0.910 and were divided into two main groups in genetic similarity coefficient 0.660.

Development and characterization of 14 novel microsatellite markers for an invasive goby ( Tridentiger bifasciatus ) in water transfer system

Genetic patterns observed among populations by neutral molecular markers is a major method used to reconstruct the invasion history of invasive species. The Shimofuri goby (Tridentiger bifasciatus) has invaded several lakes along the East Route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project, China (ENST). However, neutral molecular markers for this goby are not currently available. In this study, fourteen novel polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed through next generation sequencing technology. These markers were also tested in an invasive population (Nansi Lake, a storage lake of ENST) consisting of 54 individuals. The average number of alleles per locus was 7.6 and ranged from 4 to 13. The average Ho was 0.587 and ranged from 0.404 to 0.852, and the average He was 0.733 and ranged from 0.564 to 0.851. The average PIC per locus was 0.689 and ranged from 0.521 to 0.824. Four markers (TB4, TB65, TB66 and TB26) were found to deviate from HWE after correction following the False Discovery Rate method. Null alleles were found in four loci (TB11, TB65, TB66 and TB26). These highly polymorphic microsatellite markers are useful for further study to reconstruct invasion history of Shimofuri goby.

Evaluation of single nucleotide polymorphisms identified through the use of SNP assay in Romanian and Chinese Holstein and Simmental cattle breeds.

Simmental and Holstein cattle, being among the most widely distributed breeds worldwide, have been subjected to continuous selection for distinct purposes. In the current study, we evaluated the levels of SNPs identified through the use of SNP assay in Romanian Holstein and Romanian Simmental cattle, which then were compared to the data from Chinese Holstein and Chinese Simmental cattle. In total, 282 animals were genotyped: Romanian Holstein (n=30), Romanian Simmental (n=22), Chinese Holstein (n=96) and Chinese Simmental cattle (n=136), using 39,724 common SNPs to analyze minor allele frequency, genetic variability and level of SNPs. Among studied breeds, the average percentage of polymorphic markers was 90.84%, with the highest value in Chinese Simmental (91.37%) and lowest in Romanian Simmental cattle (90.31%). The average HO ranged from 0.426 in Romanian Holstein to 0.416 in Romanian Simmental, and from 0.425 in Chinese Holstein to 0.422 in Chinese Simmental. The distribution of SNPs was homogenous across the breeds, except the Romanian Simmental which displayed the lowest percentage of polymorphic markers (24,66 and 32,48%) from higher MAF category (0.3 to <0.4 and 0.4 to <0.5) and the highest percentage (3.82 and 12.00%) for SNPs from low and intermediate MAF categories (0.05 to <0.1 and 0.1 to <0.2). In the current study, the SNP assay was successfully used to analyze the level of SNP sites of Romanian cattle breeds, however, a higher number of samples and production data are needed for future applications of the results in genomic selection, genome-wide association studies and genetic diversity analysis.

Genetic diversity of Pseudocercospora griseola resistance loci in common beans

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is one of the most widely grown legumes in the world. Although the crop has high yield potential, average yields in Brazil are low due to several diseases. Angular leaf spot (ALS), caused by Pseudocercospora griseola, is among the most important diseases. A set of 81 accessions from the Instituto Agronomico (IAC, Campinas, SP) germplasm bank were evaluated for ALS resistance and genotyped by 12 microsatellites previously associated with ALS QTL resistance. Allele frequencies, number of alleles per locus, expected heterozygosity (He), and Shannon’s Information Index (I) were calculated. The average Ho was 0.12, and the He was 0.54. The STRUCTURE analysis and UPGMA clustering based on Nei’s genetic distance indicated a moderate degree of genetic diversity, with 4 and 5 main groups, respectively. Evaluation of the severity of ALS showed that 17% of the accessions had resistance. Cultivars were recommended for breeding crosses aimed at gaining in genetic diversity and resistance to ALS.

Analysis of genetic diversity in rosemary (Salvia rosemarinus Schleid.) using SSR molecular marker for its management and sustainable use in Ethiopian genebank

Rosemary (Salvia rosemarinus Schleid.) is cultivated worldwide due to its diverse uses as spice, preservative and medicine against many illnesses. Even though rosemary is widely grown in Ethiopia, the genetic diversity of available germplasms was not assessed. Therefore, this experiment was designed to analyze the genetic diversity of Ethiopian rosemary for further breeding activities. Genetic diversity of 45 rosemary accessions collected from different parts of Ethiopia was analyzed using 12 simple sequence repeat markers. A total of 189 alleles were detected, and the number of alleles per marker (Na) ranged from 7 to 27 with an average of 15.75. About 56.6% of the alleles were rare (frequency 0.5), respectively. Polymorphic information content per marker ranged from 0.74 to 0.94, with an average value of 0.87. The result depicted over all polymorphism of 92.6%, indicating the existence of high genetic variability among the accessions. The average values of expected (HE) and observed (HO) heterozygosities were 0.65 and 0.35, respectively. The average HO was lower than HE, showed heterozygote deficiency due to restricted cross-fertilization. Analysis of molecular variance revealed that within populations variations contributed more to the genetic diversity than between population variations. Unweighted Neighbor Joining based phylogenetic analysis, Principal Coordinate analysis and STRUCTURE analysis showed admixture of the populations, confirming that the sample groupings did not strictly follow the geographic origin of the accessions. Therefore, improvement program of the crop should focus on actual diversity, not on area of growing.

Genetic diversity, SNP-trait associations and genomic selection accuracy in a west African collection of Kersting's groundnut [Macrotyloma geocarpum(Harms) Maréchal & Baudet

Understanding the mechanisms governing complex traits variation is a requirement for efficient crop improvement. In this study, the molecular characterization, marker-trait associations and the possibility for genomic selection in a collection of 281 Kersting’s groundnut accessions were carried out. The diversity panel was phenotyped using an Alpha lattice design with two replicates in two contrasting environments. Accessions were genotyped using genotyping by sequencing technology. Genome-wide association analyses were performed between single nucleotide polymorphism markers and yield-related traits across tested environments. SNP markers were used to calculate the observed (Ho) and expected heterozygosity (He), and the total gene diversity (Ht). Genetic differentiation among accessions across ecological regions of origin was analysed. Our results revealed 493 quality SNPs of which 113 had a minor allele frequency>0.05, a total gene diversity of 0.43 and average Ho and He values of 0.04 and 0.22, respectively. Four clusters, highly differentiated by seed coat colour (Fst = 0.79), were identified. The population structure analysis showed two subpopulations with high differentiation across ecological regions (Fst = 0.37). The GWAS revealed 10 significant marker-trait associations, of which six SNPs were consistent across environments. The genomic selection through cross-validation showed moderate to high prediction accuracies for leaflet length, seed dimension traits, 100 seed weight, days to 50% flowering and days to maturity. This demonstrates the existence of genetic variability within Kersting’s groundnut and shows the potential for the improvement of the species. The findings also provide a first insight into the phenotype-to-genotype relationships in Kersting’s groundnut, using SNP markers.

Genome-wide screening of microsatellites in golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana), for the development of a standardized genetic marker system

Golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) is an endangered primate endemic to China. The lack of standardized genetic markers limits its conservation works. In the present study, a total of 1,400,552 perfect STRs was identified in the reference genome of R. roxellana. By comparing it with the 12 resequencing genomes of four geographical populations, a total of 1,927 loci were identified as perfect tetranucleotides and shared among populations. We randomly selected 74 loci to design primer pairs. By using a total of 64 samples from the Chengdu Zoo captive population and the Pingwu wild population, a set of 14 novel STR loci were identified with good polymorphism, strong stability, high repeatability, low genotyping error rate that were suitable for non-invasive samples. These were used to establish a standardized marker system for golden snub-nosed monkeys. The genetic diversity analysis showed the average HO, HE, and PIC was 0.477, 0.549, and 0.485, respectively, in the Chengdu Zoo population; and 0.516, 0.473, and 0.406, respectively, in Pingwu wild population. Moreover, an individual identification method was established, which could effectively distinguish individuals with seven markers. The paternity tests were conducted on seven offspring with known mothers from two populations, and their fathers were determined with high confidence. A genotyping database for the captive population in the Chengdu Zoo (n = 25) and wild population in Pingwu country (n = 8) was acquired by using this marker system.

Pyrolysis of self-assembled hemin on carbon for efficient oxygen reduction reaction

The employment of inexpensive metallomacrocycles to create non-precious metal electrocatalysts (NPMEs) with high performance remains a challenge. Herein, we report the self-assembly of low-cost and abundant hemin on carbon black (EC600) under hydrothermal conditions in combination with subsequent pyrolysis, leading to a new NPME. Our NPME exhibits a half-wave potential of 0.89 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), an onset potential of 1.0 V vs. RHE and an average HO[Formula: see text] yield below 2% as well as high durability toward oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) in alkaline electrolytes, ranking at the top of all reported NPMEs derived from hemin.

Synthesis and 4f 4f absorption studies of tris(acetylacetonato)praseodymium(III) and holmium(III) complexes with imidazole and pyrazole in non-aqueous solvents. Structure elucidation by Sparkle / PM7

The complexes [Pr(acac)3(im)2], [Pr(acac)3(pz)], [Ho(acac)3(im)] and [Ho(acac)3(pz)] (acac is the anion of acetylacetone, im is imidazole and pz is pyrazole) were synthesized and characterized by elemental and thermal analyses, IR and NMR spectroscopy. The ground state molecular structures were obtained using semi-empirical Sparkle/PM7 method. The optimized structures reflect the effect of lanthanide contraction along the lanthanide series as the average Ho—O and Ho—N distances are found shorter than the average Pr—O and Pr—N distances. The size of the lanthanide also affects the overall geometry of the complex. It can be seen in the homologous [Pr(acac)3(pz)] and [Ho(acac)3(pz)] complexes with pentagonal bipyramidal (D5h) and capped trigonal prism (C2v) geometries, respectively. The 4f 4f absorption spectra of the complexes recorded in different non-aqueous solvents are presented and analyzed. The oscillator strength of 3P2 ← 3H4,1D2 ← 3H4 transitions in the case of Pr(III) complexes and 5G6 ← 5I8 transition in the case of Ho(III) complexes, show remarkable changes upon a change in the ancillary ligand and/or solvent. The band shape of 3P2 ← 3H4 transition of both the Pr(III) complexes in pyridine show remarkable change and suggests influence of pyridine in changing the inner-coordination sphere of the complexes. The band shape of the hypersensitive 5G6 ← 5I8 transition of the Ho(III) complexes show appreciable change on changing the ligand/solvent. The paramagnetic shift obtained for these complexes are predominantly dipolar in nature.

Genetic structure and diversity of the Iberian populations of the freshwater blenny Salaria fluviatilis (Asso, 1801) and its conservation implications

The freshwater blenny Salaria fluviatilis has a circum-Mediterranean distribution, but it is restricted to highly specific habitats and is particularly susceptible to human disturbances, leading to the decline of Iberian populations of the species, resulting in their classification as Vulnerable. The aim of this study is to evaluate the genetic diversity and structure of the Iberian populations of S. fluviatilis to facilitate the design of robust conservation programs for the species. Potential barriers among populations and recent bottlenecks were also identified. Eleven Iberian populations (N = 337) of S. fluviatilis were genotyped for twelve polymorphic microsatellites. Our results showed strong genetic structure among Iberian populations, clustering them into four groups: north-eastern Iberian group (Fluvia, Segre, Matarrana and Cabriel rivers and Albufera Lagoon), southern Iberian group (Verde, Guadaiza and Guadalmansa rivers), Atlantic group (Zujar River and Ruidera Lakes) and Banolas Lake (north-eastern Spain). Genetic diversity was higher in the north-eastern Iberian group (average observed heterozygosity Ho = 0.5 and number of alleles Na = 4.9) compared with in the southern Iberian group (average Ho = 0.42 and Na = 2.3), although the lowest observed heterozygosity was found in the Atlantic group (Ruidera Lakes, Ho = 0.324 ± 0.106). The analyses also revealed a recent bottleneck in the southern Iberian group. Our results not only provide essential information for future conservation plans of the Iberian populations of S. fluviatilis but also for the maintenance of the species’ genetic pool in general, for which the four clusters identified in this study should be considered.

Polymorphisms of Candidate Genes to Growth in Two Populations of Colombian Creole Sheep

Objective: The study was to characterize the genetic polymorphism of 23 SNPs located in candidate growth genes in Colombian Creole hair (OPC). Materials and Methods: We used 106 individuals belonging to two OPC subpopulations located in the departments of Cesar (CS) and Córdoba (CB), these were genotyped using the OvineSNP50 Bead Chip of Illumina ®, were calculated frequencies genotypic, allelic, the Hetero zygosity observed (Ho) and expected (he), the Fixation Index (F), the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium deviations (EHW) and a molecular variance analysis to estimate the values of FST, FIS and FIT. Findings: The minimum allelic frequency (MAF) varied from 0.042 to 0.491 in the entire OPC population, while in the CS subpopulation the values varied from 0.037 to 0.481 and in the subpopulation CB from 0.019 to 0.490. For this study four SNPs had MAF less than 10% in the subpopulation CS, while, for the subpopulation CB and OPC Just one. In addition, 47.8% of the loci showed MAF ≥ 0.10, 36.9% presented an MAF ≥ 0.20, 23.9% showed an MAF ≥ 0.30 and 8.6% of the evaluated loci presented an MAF ≥ 0.40%. Similar allelic and genotypic frequencies were found in both subpopulations. The average Ho found was 0.358 ± 0.02 and the average value was 0.378 ± 0.02, with greater diversity CB. The majority of the SNPs did not present significant diversions of EHW. Application/Improvements: Finally, the obtained results show that the studied loci have high genetic variability, which is necessary to preserve. Keywords: Polymorphism, OPC, allelic frequencies, SNPs, genetic diversity.