Tail Width Research Articles

Investigation of the Optical and Dielectric Behaviour of SnO2-CuO Mixed Oxides Thin Films

The effects of CuO on the optical and dielectric properties of SnO2 thin film were studied to achieve improved light photon absorption and conversion. The films were deposited using airblast chemical spray pyrolysis. Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometric analysis using the Windows SIMNRA software gave the compositions of as-deposited and annealed films and their thicknesses. The optical and dielectric parameters were evaluated from the transmittance data obtained from UV – Visible spectrophotometer. The optical band gap of as-deposited SnO2-CuO film was evaluated to be 3.4 eV. The value of Urbach tail width of the as-deposited mixed oxide is higher (296 meV) compared to that of the annealed (252 meV) indicating the presence of more disordered states in the as-deposited film. The analysis also showed that the presence of CuO in the matrix of SnO2 led to a decrease in optical bandgap, refractive index, and by extension dielectric constants of SnO2. Our investigation led to the conclusion that the addition of CuO into SnO2 increased its electromagnetic photon absorption and also delay its speed thereby enhancing photon interaction with free charge carriers in the mixed oxide film. We opined that the mixed oxide will perform better in photocatalysis, photodegradation of pollutants and other lightharvesting applications since the CuO inclusion has extended its absorption edge towards the visible light range.

Influence of social rank on certain stress response variables and behavioral characteristics of adult rams

Dominance rank within a group can affect the stress level of an animal. However, there is no consensus on whether the dominant or subordinate animals are physiologically more stressed. It was aimed herein to determine the effect of social rank on the stress level and expression of some behaviors of adult Hemsin, Chios, and Karakul rams. According to their dominance index (DI) values, the rams were classified as low-ranked (DI < 0.33; n = 13), medium-ranked (DI: 0.33–0.66; n = 13), and high-ranked (DI > 0.66; n = 13) individuals. The low-ranked rams had lower body weight, body length, chest depth, chest circumference, cannon bone circumference, and tail width than the medium- and high-ranked rams. The high-ranked rams tended to exhibit more rumination than the low- and medium-ranked rams (P = 0.066). The rank group had no influence on the frequency of vocalization, butting other animals, and itching behaviors. The low-ranked rams had lower hematocrit, hemoglobin, and red blood cell counts than the medium- and high-ranked rams. The rank group had no influence on the white blood cell count, neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio, and cortisol level. In conclusion, under the conditions of the current study, the welfare of the low-ranked rams was not adversely affected.

Effect of Bi addition on optical properties of Se–Te–Bi films

The present paper reports the optical properties of Se80−xTe20Bix (0 ≤ x ≤ 12) films. Melt quenching method has been employed to prepare amorphous bulk samples, and thermal evaporation method has been used to deposit films of the samples under the vacuum of 10−5 torr. The structural characterization of films was carried out using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The X-ray diffraction studies showed that samples are amorphous in nature, while surface morphology results indicated the formation of nanorods of diameter 20–100 nm. The absorption and transmission spectra were recorded in the wavelength range 400–2500 nm, and data were used to determine refractive index, thickness of film, extinction coefficient and band gap of film samples. It was found that refractive index increases from 1.76 to 1.94 on increase in Bi wt% in the samples. Extinction coefficient also shows the same trend. This is due to increased polarizability of the larger Bi atoms. Further, the results show that energy band gap decreases on increase in Bi concentration in Se–Te–Bi nanostructured system. The value of Eg for x = 0 is 1.43 eV, while for x = 12, it decreases to 0.27 eV. The decrease in band gap is due to increase in the number of localized states, which eventually narrows the optical band gap. The values of band tail width (Ee) were also found to increase from 0.064 to 0.460 on Bi addition to Se–Te system. The small value of band gap and extinction coefficient makes these nanostructured films suitable for nano-electronic devices and anti-reflection multi layers.

Sexual Allometric Monomorphism in Araucan Pig from Colombia: Preliminary Results.

This study aimed to evaluate the allometric growth of the Araucan pig breed, a creole breed from Arauca, East Colombia, locally known as "Sabaneros", in relation to different quantitative traits and considering genders separately. To do this, a total of 31 male and 27 female Araucan pigs, ranging from 4 to 48 months of age, were studied in order to evaluate their growth patterns, using a multivariate approach. Animals belonged to different farms ("fincas") of the Department of Arauca, Colombia. From each individual, 10 quantitative traits were obtained: face width, croup height, croup length, croup width, tail base height, hock height, loin height, cannon length, and length and width of ear. Our results, which must be interpreted as preliminary, showed that the Araucan pig is allometrically monomorphic as sexual differences do not increase with body size. We suggest that although males and females have evidently different reproductive roles, during growth they shift the allocation of energy to structures linked to environmental adaptation rather than those linked to reproduction.

Synthesis, structural, optical and dispersion parameters of La-doped spinel zinc ferrites ZnFe2-xLaxO4 (x = 0.00, 0.001, 0.005, 0.01 and 0.015)

We investigate the structural and optical properties of ZnFe2-xLaxO4 spinel ferrite (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.015) prepared using sol-gel route. The lattice parameter increases and the crystallite size decreases by La3+ replacements as was demonstrated by X-ray diffraction. UV–visible spectroscopy was used to study the optical properties. The optical band gap increases from 1.8714 to 1.9557 eV, with the increase in La3+ concentration up to x = 0.015. On the contrary, Urbach energy (band tail width), EU was found to be decreased from 0.6027 to 0.4247 eV. In addition, different optical parameters were extracted and associated with the change of La amount such as the absorption coefficient, refractive index, the extinction coefficient, real and imaginary dielectric constant, conductivity optical and electrical conductivity. Finally, the dependency of the refractive index to the wavelength was fitted to Wemple-DiDomenico single oscillator model and the parameters like dispersion energy, single oscillator energy, oscillator length strength, and average oscillator wavelength were also determined.

Heavy Daily Precipitation Events in the CMIP6 Worst-Case Scenario: Projected Twenty-First-Century Changes

AbstractHeavy precipitation is often the trigger for flooding and landslides, leading to significant societal and economic impacts, ranging from fatalities to damage to infrastructure to loss of crops and livestock. Therefore, it is critical that we have a better understanding of how it may be changing in the future. Based on model projections from phases 3 and 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP3 and CMIP5), future daily precipitation is likely to increase in intensity. The main goal of this study is to examine possible improvements in the representation of intense and extreme precipitation by a new set of climate models contributing to phase 6 of CMIP effort (CMIP6) and to quantify its projected changes under the highest emissions scenario by the end of the current century [i.e., Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP) SSP5-8.5]. Daily precipitation data from six CMIP6 models were analyzed that have a nominal horizontal grid spacing around 100 km and provide data for the highest emissions scenario SSP5-8.5. Two of the six CMIP6 models overestimate the extreme precipitation (defined as the 99th percentile of the precipitation distribution) in the tropics, leading to large biases in the right tail of the daily precipitation over the tropics. Consistent with the CMIP5 results, the CMIP6 models projected increased heavy daily precipitation and increased width of the right tail of the precipitation distribution associated with increased water vapor content.

Ultrastructural characteristics of black marsh turtle spermatozoa obtained by electroejaculation.

The black marsh turtle (Geoemydidae: Siebenrockiella crassicollis) is a freshwater turtle that occurs in equatorial tropical climates in South East Asia. The semen of S. crassicollis was investigated by electroejaculation. The spermatozoa of S. crassicollis are filiform in shape with curved heads. The entire length, midpiece to tail length, tail width and tail length of the spermatozoa were 71.33±1.55μm, 49.92±1.13μm, 0.43±0.02μm and 48.53±0.25μm, respectively. The head length, head width across the middle and head width across the base were 14.00±0.38μm, 0.79±0.03μm and 0.91 ±0.0.03μm, respectively. The acrosomal region of the S. crassicollis spermatozoa was narrower than the head, with an acrosomal length and width at the annulus of 2.90±0.13μm and 0.43±0.01μm, respectively. The midpiece of the S. crassicollis spermatozoa was narrower than the head and contained 30-40 mitochondrial balls, each with a ball diameter of 0.16±0.002μm. The midpiece length, midpiece width and tail length were 4.92±0.16, 0.78±0.03 and 48.53±0.25μm, respectively. This study presents the characteristic appearance of a freshwater turtle spermatozoa in Southeast Asia, as observed under an electron microscope. The spermatozoa of Siebenrockiella crassicollis are morphologically different from those of other freshwater turtles from other regions described in previous studies.

Structure optimization of plough blades in a ploughshare mixer using the DEM simulations

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to optimize the structure of plough blades in a ploughshare mixer using the discrete element method (DEM) simulations.Design/methodology/approachUsing the validated DEM model, three numerical tests are conducted to determine how the mixing performance evolves as structural parameters of blades change. Results from the analysis provide basis for structure optimization of blades. The structural parameters include sweep angle of blade γ, regular axial pitch p and regular circumferential angular offset α. The parameters to evaluate mixing performance include mass flow rate and Lacey index.FindingsThe DEM results show that the mixing performance at γ of 35° is better than 15°, 25° and 45°. The mixer which has a p of less than or equal to 1.11 · b is more efficient than the mixer which has a p greater than 1.11 · b, where b is tail width of blade. The circumferential symmetric distribution of blades (α = 180°) is more beneficial to improve the mixing performance in comparison with the circumferential asymmetric distribution (α < 180°). Based on the results, an optimized mixer with a γ of 35°, a p of 0.61 · b and an α of 180° is proposed, which has a better mixing performance compared to all mixers listed.Originality/valueThe structural parameters of blades, including γ, p and α, are found to be critical for good mixing. From the view angle of structure optimization of plough blades, a new ploughshare mixer with a γ of 35°, a p of 0.61 · b and an α of 180° is investigated and recommended for improving mixing efficiency.

Heavy precipitation events over East Africa in a changing climate: results from CORDEX RCMs

The study assesses the performance of 24 model runs from five COordinated Regional climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) regional climate models (RCMs) in simulating East Africa’s spatio-temporal precipitation characteristics using a set of eight descriptors: consecutive dry days (CDD), consecutive wet days (CWD), simple precipitation intensity index (SDII), mean daily annual (pr_ANN), seasonal (pr_MAM and pr_OND) precipitation, and representatives of heavy precipitation (90p) and very intense precipitation (99p) events. Relatively better performing RCM runs are then used to assess projected precipitation changes (for the period 2071–2099 relative to 1977–2005) over the study domain under the representative concentration pathway (RCP) 8.5 scenario. The performance of RCMs is found to be descriptor and scope specific. Overall, RCA4 (r1i1p1) forced by CNRM-CERFACS-CNRM-CM5 and MPI-M-MPI-ESM-LR, REMO2009 (r1i1p1) forced by MPI-M-MPI-ESM-LR, and RCA4 (r2i1p1) forced by MPI-M-MPI-ESM-LR emerge as the top four RCM runs. We show that an ensemble mean of the top four model runs outperforms an ensemble mean of 24 model simulations and ensemble means for all runs in an RCM. Our analysis of projections shows a reduction (increase) in mean daily precipitation for MAM(OND), an increase(decrease) in CDD(CWD) events, and a general increase in SDII and the width of the right tail of the precipitation distribution (99p–90p). An increase in SDII and 99p–90p implies a possibility of occurrence of heavy and extreme precipitation incidences by the end of the twenty-first century. Our findings provide important information to support the region’s climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts.

Artifacts in Diagnostic Ultrasonography

In this review, the ultrasound (US) artifacts features such as propagation path, velocity, attenuation, multiple echoes, and resolution are explained. The main restrictions of an axial and lateral resolution are artifacts. However, failure to fix them lead to the lack of details, and adjacent neighboring objects may be observed as one image. This article describes an essential law to control wave movement, and the US artifacts are formed. Thus, it is substantial for the radiologist and sonographer to differentiate between the artifacts and abnormal signs during the diagnostic procedure. Furthermore, the use of enhancing and shadowing artifacts in determining the nature of masses was explained. The comet tail, attenuation, mirror image, refraction, speed displacement, side lobe, and beam width artifacts happened typically in clinical (in-vivo) practice were also discussed. Finally, an estimation and evaluation of these artifacts are necessary to increase the accuracy in diagnosis.

Effect of dietary nutrition on tail fat deposition and evaluation of tail-related genes in fat-tailed sheep

Abstract Background The effects of dietary nutrition on tail fat deposition and the correlation between production performance and the Hh signaling pathway and OXCT1 were investigated in fat-tailed sheep. Tan sheep were fed different nutritional diets and the variances in tail length, width, thickness and tail weight as well as the mRNA expression of fat-related genes (C/EBPα, FAS, LPL, and HSL) were determined in the tail fat of sheep at three different growth stages based on their body weight. Furthermore, the correlations between tail phenotypes and the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway components (IHH, PTCH1, SMO, and GLI1) and OXCT1 were investigated. Results C/EBPα, FAS, LPL, and HSL were expressed with differences in tail fat of sheep fed different nutritional diets at three different growth stages. The results of the two-way ANOVA showed the significant effect of nutrition, stage, and interaction on gene expression, except the between C/EBPα and growth stage. C/EBPα, FAS, and LPL were considerably correlated with the tail phenotypes. Furthermore, the results of the correlation analysis demonstrated a close relationship between the tail phenotypes and Hh signaling pathway and OXCT1. Conclusions The present study demonstrated the gene-level role of dietary nutrition in promoting tail fat deposition and related tail fat-related genes. It provides a molecular basis by which nutritional balance and tail fat formation can be investigated and additional genes can be identified. The findings of the present study may help improve the production efficiency of fat-tailed sheep and identify crucial genes associated with tail fat deposition. How to cite: Zeng J, Zhou S, Yang Y, et al. Effect of dietary nutrition on tail fat deposition and evaluation of tail-related genes in fat-tailed sheep. Electron J Biotechnol 2020;46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2020.05.004 .

ION BEAM IRRADIATION EFFECTS ON SURFACE MORPHOLOGY AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF ZnO/PVA COMPOSITES

Polymer nanocomposites composed of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs)-doped polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) polymer matrix have been synthesized using solvent casting preparation method. The ZnO/PVA polymer nanocomposite films are irradiated with different argon ion beam fluences using broad-beam ion source. The prepared films are characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV–visible spectroscopy. The XRD shows that ZnO NPs are successfully formed on PVA polymer and the mean size of ZnO NPs is 31.2[Formula: see text]nm. The FTIR peaks indicate that ZnO NPs are attached to the polymer chains, whereas the SEM analysis shows that ZnO NPs are homogeneously dispersed into the PVA polymer surface. The optical bandgap, band tail width and number of carbon atoms in cluster are obtained and discussed using UV–visible spectroscopy. The transmittance is shown with low transmittance intensity in the UV region with the addition of ZnO NPs and ion beam irradiation. The optical bandgap [Formula: see text] showed significant decrease from 5.25[Formula: see text]eV for pristine PVA to 3.10[Formula: see text]eV by adding ZnO and from 3.10[Formula: see text]eV for un-irradiated ZnO/PVA to 2.98[Formula: see text]eV after being irradiated by [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]cm[Formula: see text]. The number of carbon atoms in cluster [Formula: see text] is increased by ZnO addition, whereas the Urbach energy [Formula: see text] is decreased. These results confirmed that there are significant modifications in PVA polymer, and the produced flexible ZnO/PVA is a good polymer nanocomposite film for technological applications.

Theoretical characterization and band gap tuning of Snx(GeSe2)100-x thin films

The ternary compounds Snx(GeSe2)100-x (0 ≤ x ≤ 24 at. %) were prepared in glassy thin films. Using the chemical bond approach, theoretical calculations of effects of Sn content on mean coordination number (CN), constraints number (Ns), molar volume (Vm), compactness (δ), heat of atomization (Hs), cohesive energy (CE), overall difference of electronegativity (Δχ) as well as the degree of iconicity (Ion) were discussed. Optical absorbance has been measured in order to evaluate experimentally the band gap (Eg) and the band tail's width (Ee). In addition, conduction-valence bands positions were estimated when changing Sn content. Increasing Sn content from 0 to 24 at. %, decreases Eg from 2.01 to 1.28 eV. Three theoretical estimations of the variations of the band gap with Sn content were critically compared to experimental values. Obviously, the combination of the estimated band gap from Δχ and contributions of the formed bonds gives the best adjustment.

The Tadpoles of Two Atelopus Species (Anura: Bufonidae) from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia, with Notes on their Ecology and Comments on the Morphology of Atelopus Larvae

We describe for the first time the tadpole of two endemic harlequin frogs of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, north of Colombia: Atelopus nahumae and A. laetissimus. In addition, we provide further morphological data for a third species, A. carrikeri. We also discuss some external morphological features for the tadpoles of these species and compare them with data currently available in the literature for the genus and with other larvae deposited in the amphibian collection of the Instituto de Ciencias Naturales of the National University of Colombia. The examined characters comprise eight morphometric variables and many traits of external morphology related with the oral apparatus, abdominal disc, fins, and dorsal color pattern. The tadpoles of A. nahumae and A. laetissimus are gastromyzophorous and morphologically similar, sharing a great number of features with their congeners. The tadpoles of A. nahumae, A. laetissimus, and A. carrikeri contrast morphometrically; total length and tail width are the morphometric traits that are useful to differentiate among them. They are also differentiated by the size of the abdominal sucker and spiracle. In A. carrikeri, the abdominal sucker is large relative to that of A. nahumae and A. laetissimus; the spiracle of A. laetissimus and A. carrikeri is not visible in ventral and dorsal view, whereas it is large and conspicuous in A. nahumae. The tadpoles of the species from Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta differ from most of their congeners found in the Cordillera Oriental and Central of Colombia by lacking a dark band on the fins and caudal musculature. We recorded abiotic factors of the microhabitat where tadpoles of A. nahumae were observed (temperature, dissolved oxygen, and water depth). Our results indicate that the probability of finding A. nahumae tadpoles depends on the depth of the stream.

Reproductive Biology and Sexual Dimorphism of Gymnophthalmus vanzoi (Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae) in a Population South of the Amazon River, Brazil

Here, we present data on reproductive biology and sexual dimorphism of a species of Gymnophthalmus (G. vanzoi). We conducted the study in an urban area in the municipality of Santarem, on the campus of the Universidade Federal do Oeste do Para, Para state, Brazil. We collected data from 61 males, 79 females, and 9 individuals of unknown sex. Adults were sampled throughout the year, and juveniles were sampled for nine months. Adult females were larger and heavier than males. We observed sexual dimorphism in snout–vent length, length between limbs, head length, head width, head height, hind limb length, tail width, body mass, and coloration. We recorded reproductive females during 6 months, with the largest secondary follicles observed in June and August, the period of lowest precipitation. Reproductive males were recorded throughout the year, occurring at higher frequencies in December, January, and June–November. Testicular volume did not differ significantly among months (P = 0.0884). We collected the smallest individuals in January, March, July, August, November, and December, which suggests that recruitment occurs throughout the year. Despite the evidence of seasonality in the reproductive cycle with larger follicles and larger volume of testes in the drier season, we suggest that reproduction in G. vanzoi is continuous throughout the year, as we did not find statistical differences in the size of testicles (adjusted for subject body size) among months, and because recruitment occurs across various months of the year.

Does temporal variation in predation risk affect antipredator responses of larval Indian Skipper Frogs (Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis)?

Predation risk varies on a moment-to-moment basis, through day and night, lunar and seasonal cycles, and over evolutionary time. Hence, it is adaptive for prey animals to exhibit environment-specific behaviour, morphology, and (or) life-history traits. Herein, the effects of temporally varying predation risk on growth, behaviour, morphology, and life-history traits of larval Indian Skipper Frogs (Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis (Schneider, 1799)) were studied by exposing them to no risk, continuous, predictable, and unpredictable risks at different time points. Our results show that larval E. cyanophlyctis could learn the temporal pattern of risk leading to weaker behavioural responses under predictable risk and stronger responses to unpredictable risk. Temporally varying predation risk had a significant impact on tadpole morphology. Tadpoles facing continuous risk had narrow tail muscles. Tadpoles facing predictable risk during the day were heavy with wide and deep tail muscles, whereas those facing predictable risk at night had long tails. Tadpoles facing unpredictable risk were heavy with narrow tail muscles. Metamorphic traits of E. cyanophlyctis were also affected by the temporal variation in predation risk. Tadpoles facing predictable risk during the day emerged at the largest size. However, tadpoles facing predictable risk at night and unpredictable risk metamorphosed earlier, whereas those facing continuous risk metamorphosed later.

Highly Stable, Nanocrystalline, ZnO Thin-Film Transistor by Spray Pyrolysis Using High-K Dielectric

We report a highly stable, nanocrystalline, zinc oxide (ZnO) thin-film transistor (TFT) fabricated by spray pyrolysis using purified ${\text {ZrO}}_{x}$ as a gate insulator. The crystalline ZnO layer shows an average grain size of 30 nm and a smooth surface with an average rms roughness value of 1.21 nm. The smoothness of the ZnO film is due to the alignment of all grains with the (002) ${c}$ -axis. The TFTs exhibit a saturation mobility of 12.76 ${\text {cm}}^{{2}}\text {/V}\cdot \text {s}$ , a subthreshold swing of 260 mV/dec, and an ON/OFF current ratio of ~108 with negligible hysteresis voltage. The ZnO TFT shows excellent stability under bias stress because of the high-quality ZnO film and its excellent interface with ZrO x . The conduction band tail width of ZnO was obtained from the TCAD fitting to the measurement data and was found to be 65 meV.

MESSENGER Observations of Mercury's Nightside Magnetosphere Under Extreme Solar Wind Conditions: Reconnection‐Generated Structures and Steady Convection

AbstractMercury's nightside magnetosphere is investigated under the impact of a coronal mass ejection (CME) and a high‐speed stream (HSS) with MErcury Surface, Space ENviroment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) observations. The CME was shown to produce a low plasma (ratio of thermal pressure to magnetic pressure) magnetosheath, while the HSS creates a higher magnetosheath. Reconnection at the dayside magnetopause was found to be stronger during the CME than the HSS, but both were stronger than the average condition (Slavin et al., 2014, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JA020319). Here we show that the CME and HSS events produced large numbers of flux ropes and dipolarization fronts in the plasma sheet. The occurrence rates for the structures were approximately 2 orders of magnitude higher than under average conditions with the rates during CME's being twice that of HSS's. The flux ropes appeared as quasiperiodic flux rope groups. Each group lasted approximately 1 min and had a few large flux ropes followed by several smaller flux ropes. The lobe magnetic flux accounted for around half of the Mercury's available magnetic flux with the flux during CME's being larger than that of HSS's. The CME produced a more dynamic nightside magnetosphere than the HSS. Further, for the CME event, the tail magnetic reconnection produced a distorted Hall magnetic field pattern and the X‐line had a dawn‐dusk extent of 20% of the tail width. No magnetic flux loading and unloading events were observed suggesting that, during these intense driving conditions, Mercury's magnetosphere responded with a type of quasi‐steady convection as opposed to the tail flux loading‐unloading events seen at Earth.

Observation of a Correlation Between Internal friction and Urbach Energy in Amorphous Oxides Thin Films

We have investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE, 190–1700 nm) the optical properties of uniform, amorphous thin films of Ta2O5 and Nb2O5 as deposited and after annealing, and after so-called “doping” with Ti atoms which leads to mixed oxides. Ta2O5 and Ti:Ta2O5 are currently used as high-index components in Bragg reflectors for Gravitational Wave Detectors. Parallel to the optical investigation, we measured the mechanical energy dissipation of the same coatings, through the so-called “loss angle” ϕ = Q−1, which quantifies the energy loss in materials. By applying the well-known Cody-Lorentz model in the analysis of SE data we have been able to derive accurate information on the fundamental absorption edge through important parameters related to the electronic density of states, such as the optical gap (Eg) and the energy width of the exponential Urbach tail (the Urbach energy EU). We have found that EU is neatly reduced by suitable annealing as is also perceptible from direct inspection of SE data. Ti-doping also points to a minor decrease of EU. The reduction of EU parallels a lowering of the mechanical losses quantified by the loss angle ϕ. The correlation highlights that both the electronic states responsible of Urbach tail and the internal friction are sensitive to a self-correlation of defects on a medium-range scale, which is promoted by annealing and in our case, to a lesser extent, by doping. These observations may contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between structural and mechanical properties in amorphous oxides.

Verification and Analysis of Sheep Tail Type-Associated PDGF-D Gene Polymorphisms.

Simple SummaryPDGF-D can be considered a candidate gene for selection for sheep tail type. This study investigated genetic variation of the PDGF-D gene in sheep with different tail types verified at a cellular level and revealed the molecular mechanism of PDGF-D in sheep tail fat deposition. We detected a total of two SNPs among 533 sheep. g.4122606 C > G site was significantly correlated with tail length, and g.3852134 C > T site was significantly correlated with tail width. In addition, overexpression of PDGF-D in sheep preadipocytes can promote adipogenic differentiation. The PDGF-D gene may participate in sheep tail fat deposition and could be used for molecular marker-assisted selection of sheep tail type.The aim of this study was to examine the correlation between the platelet-derived growth factor-D (PDGF-D) gene and sheep tail type character and explore the potential underlying mechanism. A total of 533 sheep were included in this study. Polymorphic sites were examined by Pool-seq, and individual genotype identification and correlation analysis between tail type data were conducted using the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MALDI-TOF-MS) method. JASPART website was used to predict transcription factor binding sites in the promoter region with and without PDGF-D gene mutation. The effect of PDGF-D on adipogenic differentiation of sheep preadipocytes was investigated. Two single nucleotide polymorphism sites were identified: g.4122606 C > G site was significantly correlated with tail length, and g.3852134 C > T site was significantly correlated with tail width. g.3852134 C > T was located in the promoter region. Six transcription factor binding sites were eliminated after promoter mutation, and three new transcription factor binding sites appeared. Expression levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and lipoproteinlipase (LPL) were significantly up-regulated upon PDGF-D overexpression. Oil red O staining showed increased small and large oil drops in the PDGF-D overexpression group. Together these results indicate the PDGF-D gene is an important gene controlling sheep tail shape and regulating sheep tail fat deposition to a certain degree.