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Second litter syndrome (SLS) consists of a loss of prolificacy in the second parity (P2), when a sow presents the same or lower results for litter size than in the first parity (P1). This syndrome has been reported for modern prolific breeds but has not been studied for rustic breeds. The objectives of this study are to determine how and to what degree Iberian sows (a low productivity breed recently raised on intensive farms) are affected by SLS; to establish a target and reference levels; and to assess the factors influencing the performance. Analysed data correspond to 66 Spanish farms with a total of 126 140 Iberian sows. The average Iberian sow prolificacy in P1 was 8.91 total born (TB) and 8.47 born alive (BA) piglets, whereas in P2, it decreased by −0.05 TB and −0.01 BA piglets, suggesting some general incidence of SLS. At the sow level, 56.63% did not improve prolificacy in terms of BA piglets in P2, and 16.98% had a clear decrease in prolificacy, losing ≥3 BA piglets in P2. Within herds, a mean of 57.75% of sows showed SLS, with an evident decrease in the number of BA piglets in P2. The plausible target for the Iberian farm’s prolificacy comes from the quartile of farms with the lowest percentage of SLS sows within the farms with the highest prolificacy between P1 and P2 (mean of 8.77 BA). So, in this subset of farms (N = 17), 47.3% of sows improved their prolificacy in P2 (i.e. did not show SLS). Hence, half the sows could be expected to show SLS even on farms with a good performance. Finally, this study brings out the main factors reducing P2 prolificacy through SLS in the Iberian breed: later age at first farrowing, long first lactation length, medium weaning to conception interval and large litter size in P1. In conclusion, improving the reproductive performance of Iberian farms requires reducing the percentage of sows with SLS, paying special attention to those risk factors. The knowledge derived from this study can provide references for comparing and establishing objectives of performance on Iberian sow farms which can be used for other robust breeds. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

We study a one-dimensional problem arising in strain gradient porous-elasticity. Three different Moore–Gibson–Thompson dissipation mechanisms are considered: viscosity and hyperviscosity on the displacements, and weak viscoporosity. The existence and uniqueness of solutions are proved. The energy decay is also shown, being polynomial for the two first situations, unless a particular choice of the constitutive parameters is made in the hyperviscosity case. Finally, for the weak viscoporosity, only the slow decay can be expected. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Wave generation and transmission in multi-scale complex media and structured metamaterials (part 1)’.

In a recent paper the authors studied a generic problem determined by the onedimensional porous-thermoelasticity with microtemperatures in the context of the dual-phase-lag theory. Energy decay rates for that system were obtained. However, there were several cases when the coupling between the di erent components de ning the system of equations is weaker that were not treated. In this paper we are interested in these singular cases and we will prove the polynomial decay of the solutions depending on the relations of the relaxation parameters

We analyzed the clinical and radiographic evolution of patients with knee unicompartmental osteoarthritis and axis alteration and osteochondral lesions in the femoral condyle, treated with tibial plateau and meniscus allograft and cultured autologous chondrocyte implantation in the femur in two steps. To analyze the clinical results with the first patients treated with this two-stage technique to avoid knee prosthesis in patients with unicompartmental osteoarthritis. Sixteen patients, average age 56 years, were included in a cohort study. We performed an osteotomy with tibia plateau allograft, including the meniscus. In a second surgery, the chondrocyte fibrin scaffold was placed in the femur. Clinical symptoms and function were measured using KSSR and KOOS scores. Wilcoxon's test was performed to compare the results over the 2-year follow-up period. Mean KSSR before surgery was 35.69 (SD: 3.75) points, rising to 67 (SD: 15.42) at 3 months, 95.88 at 12 months (SD: 2.68) and 96.31 at 24 months (SD: 2.24). The KOOS before surgery was 65.14 (SD: 16.34), rising to 72.68 after 3 months (SD: 19.15), 76.68 at 12 months (SD: 18.92) and 64.28 at 24 months (SD: 11.79). Four of 5 patients returned to engaging in the activity that they had stopped practicing. Three patients experienced collapse of the tibia allograft, and they needed later a prosthesis. Simultaneous tibia plateau allograft and autologous chondrocyte implantation in the femur, after correction of the angular deformity, were performed, restoring the anatomy of the medial compartment and knee function in 82% of the patients 2 years after the operation. IV.

Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade de Vigo/CISUG In this short note, we consider some issues regarding the instability of some elastodynamical problems when the elasticity tensor is not positive definite. By using the so-called logarithmic convexity argument, we prove the instability of solutions when the time derivative of the elasticity tensor is semi-definite negative or it satisfies another restriction on the coefficients. The uniqueness of the solution is also concluded. Finally, a simple one-dimensional example is provided to demonstrate the numerical behaviour of the instability. Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades | Ref. PID2019-105118GB-I00

This paper is devoted to studying the linear system of partial differential equations modelling a one-dimensional thermo-porous-elastic problem with microtemperatures in the context of the dual-phase-lag heat conduction. Existence, uniqueness, and exponential decay of solutions are proved. Polynomial stability is also obtained in the case that the relaxation parameters satisfy a certain equality. Our arguments are based on the theory of semigroups of linear operators.

We consider the system of equations determining the linear thermoelastic deformations of dielectrics within the recently called Moore-Gibson-Thompson (MGT) theory. First, we obtain the system of equations for such a case. Second, we consider the case of a rigid solid and show the existence and the exponential decay of solutions. Third, we consider the thermoelastic case and obtain the existence and the stability of the solutions. Exponential decay of solutions in the one-dimensional case is also recalled

In this note we consider 1D problems within the context of a new class of elastic bodies. Under suitable conditions on the constitutive equations we prove instability and nonexistence of solutions similar to those in place for the linearized theory. The last section is devoted to describing the spatial behavior of the solutions.

In previous GWAS carried out in a Duroc commercial line (Lipgen population), we detected on pig chromosomes 3, 4 and 14 several QTL for gluteus medius muscle redness (GM a*), electric conductivity in the longissimus dorsi muscle (LD CE) and vaccenic acid content in the LD muscle (LD C18:1 n - 7), respectively. We have genotyped, in the Lipgen population, 19 SNPs mapping to 14 genes located within these QTL. Subsequently, association analyses have been performed. After correction for multiple testing, two SNPs in the TGFBRAP1 (rs321173745) and SELENOI (rs330820437) genes were associated with GM a*, whereas ACADSB (rs81449951) and GPR26 (rs343087568) genotypes displayed significant associations with LD vaccenic content. Moreover, the polymorphisms located at the ATP1A2 (rs344748241), ATP8B2 (rs81382410) and CREB3L4 (rs321278469 and rs330133789) genes showed significant associations with LD CE. We made a second round of association analyses including the SNPs mentioned above as well as other SNPs located in the chromosomes to which they map. After performing a correction for multiple testing, the only association that remained significant at the chromosome-wide level was that between the ATP1A2 genotype and LD CE. From a functional point of view, this association is meaningful because this locus encodes a subunit of the Na

Chagas' disease is a parasitic disease with unsatisfactory treatment, mainly in chronic stage. This study aimed to evaluate the trypanocidal activity and action mechanisms of α/β-amyrin and its semi-synthetic derivatives, together with four isolated natural triterpenes, tested against trypomastigote and amastigote forms. The structure-activity relationship was suggested and cytotoxicity was measured. In general, greater polar compounds may have improved the selectivity to the protozoan. Action mechanisms were only performed for the amastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi by evaluating the ultrastructural alterations, membrane permeability, mitochondrial membrane potential and cell volume, since the majority of compounds displayed promising antiamastigote activities. Triterpenes promoted changes on mitochondrial membrane potential and ultrastructural features that suggest autophagy processes. Both combinations between α/β-amyrin and 3-O-acetyl-11-oxo-α/β-amyrin and 3-O-acetyl-α/β-amyrin with benznidazole displayed synergistic effects against amastigotes and antagonistic effects on LLCMK2 cells. The antiamastigote activities, chemical derivatization, drug combinations and action mechanisms revealed to be crucial approaches toward this chronic disease.

SummaryThis work analyses the changes that caprine spermatozoa undergo during in vitro fertilization (IVF) of in vitro matured prepubertal goat oocytes and their relationship with IVF outcome, in order to obtain an effective model that allows prediction of in vitro fertility on the basis of semen assessment. The evolution of several sperm parameters (motility, viability and acrosomal integrity) during IVF and their relationship with three IVF outcome criteria (total penetration, normal penetration and cleavage rates) were studied in a total of 56 IVF replicates. Moderate correlation coefficients between some sperm parameters and IVF outcome were observed. In addition, stepwise multiple regression analyses were conducted that considered three grouping of sperm parameters as potential explanatory variables of the three IVF outcome criteria. The proportion of IVF outcome variation that can be explained by the fitted models ranged from 0.62 to 0.86, depending upon the trait analysed and the variables considered. Seven out of 32 sperm parameters were selected as partial covariates in at least one of the nine multiple regression models. Among these, progressive sperm motility assessed immediately after swim-up, the percentage of dead sperm with intact acrosome and the incidence of acrosome reaction both determined just before the gamete co-culture, and finally the proportion of viable spermatozoa at 17 h post-insemination were the most frequently selected sperm parameters. Nevertheless, the predictive ability of these models must be confirmed in a larger sample size experiment.

This paper is concerned with the linear theory of thermoelasticity with microtemperatures. Our main aim is to show how the logarithmic convexity arguments can be used in this theory. Results concerning uniqueness, instability and structural stability are consequences of the use of this method in the proposed thermomechanical theory. The main difficulty is the fact that the thermal and microthermal parts of the system of field equations do not define a self-adjoin problem. However the use of suitable weights permits to save the difficulties.

In this article we study the spatial behaviour of solutions for the three-phase-lag heat equation on a semi-infinite cylinder. First, we investigate the spatial evolution of solutions of an initial boundary-value problem with zero boundary conditions on the lateral surface of the cylinder. Under null initial data, a Phragmen–Lindelof alternative is obtained. An upper bound for the amplitude term in terms of the boundary data is also established. For the case of decay solutions, an improvement is obtained. We prove that the decay can be controlled by the exponential of a second-degree polynomial in the distance from the finite end of the cylinder. A class of non-standard problems is also considered for which the temperature and its first two time derivatives at a fixed time T 0 are assumed proportional to their initial values. These results are relevant in the context of the Saint-Venant Principle for heat conduction problems.

Previous investigations of the population genetics of the scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) in the Eastern Tropical Pacific have lacked information about nursery areas. Such areas are key to promoting conservation initiatives that can protect young sharks from threats such as overfishing. Here, we investigated the genetic diversity, phylogeography, and connectivity of S. lewini found in 3 areas of Colombia's Pacific coast: around Malpelo Island and in 2 National Natural Parks on the Colombian Pacific mainland (Sanquianga and Ensenada de Utria). We analyzed mtDNA control region (CR) sequences and genotyped 15 microsatellite loci in 137 samples of adults and juveniles. The mtDNA analyses showed haplotypes shared between the Colombian Pacific individuals sampled in this investigation and other areas in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, the Indo-Pacific, and with sequences previously reported in Colombia (Buenaventura Port), as well as 4 unique haplotypes. Population assignment and paternity analyses detected 3 parent-offspring pairs between Malpelo and Sanquianga and 1 between Malpelo and Utria. These results indicate high genetic connectivity between Malpelo Island and the Colombian Pacific coast, suggesting that these 2 areas are nurseries for S. lewini. This is, to our knowledge, the first evidence of nursery areas identified for the scalloped hammerhead shark anywhere in the world. Additional conservation planning may be required to protect these nursery habitats of this endangered shark species.

Leishmaniasis is caused by an intracellular parasite transmitted to humans by the bite of a sand fly. It is endemic in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the Mediterranean region. Worldwide, 1.5 to 2 million new cases occur each year, 350 million are at risk of acquiring the disease, and leishmaniasis causes 70,000 deaths per year. Clinical features depend on the species ofLeishmaniainvolved and the immune response of the host. Manifestations range from the localized cutaneous to the visceral form with potentially fatal outcomes. Many drugs are used in its treatment, but the only effective treatment is achieved with current pentavalent antimonials.

The adiponectin (ADIPOQ) locus is a positional and functional candidate gene for 2 porcine chromosome 13 (SSC13) QTL influencing cholesterol (CHOL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) concentrations in 190-d-old pigs. By sequencing 2.37 kb of the pig ADIPOQ cDNA, we have identified 1 c.*1512GT 3' untranslated region polymorphism that has been genotyped in a Duroc pig commercial population with records for serum lipid levels at 45 and 190 d of age. Statistical analysis of the data have revealed significant associations between the ADIPOQ genotype and CHOL (P=0.0040) and LDL (P=0.0011) concentrations at 190 d but not at 45 d. In family 3, most of the SSC13 QTL effects on LDL levels at 190 d were explained by the ADIPOQ genotype. We also found an association with triglyceride levels at 45 d (P=0.0060) but not at 190 d. Measurement of allelic mRNA imbalance demonstrated that the G and T alleles are expressed at very similar levels in muscle and fat tissues, indicating that the c.*1512GT polymorphism does not affect transcript abundance. As a whole, results obtained in the current work as well as previous data gathered in humans and pigs provide evidence that the magnitude of associations between blood lipid phenotypes and candidate loci genotypes may vary depending on the age of the individual, therefore suggesting the existence of dynamic genotype×environment interactions changing on a temporal scale.

The history of the nomenclatural taxonomic priority of the orchid Oncidium ornithorhynchum is yet to be clarified, as successive descriptions and publications of this species were proposed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by botanists such as José Celestino Mutis, John Lindley, Alexander von Humboldt, Aimé Bonpland and Carl S. Kunth, among others. In order to resolve the inconsistencies in taxonomic reports of this species in the course of time, and based on the recent clarification by Jiménez and Hágsater on the type specimen conserved in Paris, we proceeded to review the primary sources associated with its description and botanical nomenclature. La historia de la prioridad taxonómica de la orquídea Oncidium ornithorhynchum está aún por aclarar si se consideran las diferentes descripciones y publicaciones de esta especie propuestas en los siglos XVIII y XIX por botánicos como José Celestino Mutis, John Lindley, Alexander von Humboldt, Aimé Bonpland y Carl S. Kunth, entre otros. Con el fin de resolver las inconsistencias en los reportes taxonómicos de esta especie en el transcurso del tiempo, y teniendo como base la reciente aclaración realizada por Jiménez y Hágsater sobre la identidad del ejemplar tipo conservado en París, hemos procedido a ordenar las fuentes primarias asociadas con su descripción y nomenclatura botánica.

Plant tissue from herbarium specimens contains DNA that has undergone post-mortem degradation. Only small amounts of possibly degraded genetic material free of chemicals and impurities can be extracted from these samples. The aim of the present work was to compare and determine which one of three previously published plant DNA extraction protocols would extract good quality DNA from orchid herbarium specimens stored up to 63 years, susceptible of PCR amplification and Sanger sequencing. The most effective protocol for this type of samples allowed us to obtain and sequence amplified products in 6 of the 7 samples studied with an optimal DNA / protein purity relationship. Los tejidos vegetales provenientes de muestras de herbario contienen ADN que ha sufrido degradación post-mortem. Solo pequeñas cantidades de material genético eventualmente degradado, libre de químicos e impurezas, puede ser extraído de dichas muestras. El presente trabajo buscó comparar y determinar cuál de los tres protocolos de extracción seleccionados, que habían sido publicados previamente para ADN vegetal, permitía extraer ADN de buena calidad, susceptible de ser amplificado y secuenciado, a partir de exsicados de orquídeas conservadas en herbario hasta por 63 años. De los protocolos evaluados, el más eficaz permitió obtener y secuenciar productos amplificados en 6 de las 7 muestras estudiadas, con las mejores relaciones de pureza ADN / proteína.

The performance of a genome scan for serum lipid traits at 45 and 190 d in 5 half-sib families of Duroc pigs allowed us to detect several pig chromosomal regions with significant effects on these phenotypes. In the current work, we aimed to refine the position of 1 chromosome 4 (SSC4) genome-wide significant QTL for serum triglyceride concentration at 190 d. Genotyping of 4 additional microsatellites allowed reduction of the 90% confidence interval of this QTL to the genomic interval between markers SW2409 and SW839. Sequencing experiments were performed to characterize the variability of 2 lipid-related genes, the lipoprotein receptor-related protein 12 (LRP12) and tribbles homolog 1 (TRIB1) loci, that map to this region. In this way, 2 (c.771AG and c.1101AG) and 1 (c.*156_157del) polymorphisms were identified at the LRP12 coding region and TRIB1 3' untranslated region, respectively. Association analyses between LRP12 and TRIB1 genotypes did not reveal any significant effect on serum lipid concentrations, suggesting that variation of these two loci does not explain the segregation of the SSC4 QTL. However, highly significant associations were observed for gluteus medius saturated fatty acid content (LRP12 c.1101AG, P = 0.0006; TRIB1 c.*156_157del, P = 0.0003). In the light of these and other findings, the potential involvement of LRP12 and TRIB1 in muscle lipid metabolism deserves to be further explored.

The influence that the genetics of species used as food sources has on the human perception of sensory attributes has been rarely addressed in previous studies. Dry-cured hams are high-quality highly appreciated pork products obtained by salting, curing, drying, and aging processes. We performed a QTL scan for 17 sensory attributes (including appearance, taste, flavor, and texture) and the overall liking evaluated by a panel of trained tasters in both semimembranosus (SM) and biceps femoris (BF) muscles of dry-cured hams from pigs raised in identical nutrition and management conditions. The QTL scan yielded a large array of chromosome- and genomewide QTL, reflecting the complex polygenic architecture of these traits. Among them, 6 QTL affecting SM flavor attributes (aged, matured, sweetness, and umami), 7 QTL associated to SM texture defects (adhesiveness and pastiness), and a single QTL for appearance (BF color intensity) reached the genomewide significant threshold. Discrepancies were observed between the BF and SM QTL maps, probably due to the differential drying and ripening rates determined by the external (SM) vs. internal (BF) location of each muscle. Within muscle, a certain degree of pleiotropy is supported by QTL co-localization for flavor (aged, matured, and sweet) or texture (such as pastiness and adhesiveness defects caused by excessive proteolysis) attributes. On the whole, QTL for overall sensory liking tended to co-localize with aged and matured QTL. Several functional candidate genes involved in the biochemical processes that shape flavor and texture attributes, such as ANPEP, LIPE, LIPA, MEP1B, and MMP28, co-localized with QTL hotspots. These results demonstrate that genetic factors of the pig influence the perception of the sensory attributes generated during dry-cured ham processing and represent a first contribution to elucidate which genetic factors may modulate the sensory properties of dry-cured hams.

The hydrozirconation of alkenes or alkynes yields the dicyclopentadienyl alkyl- or alkenylzirconium chloride, respectively, in high yields and with high regioselectivity. The reaction of these organozirconium compounds with a boron halide results in the exchange of the halogen and organic group, forming the organoborane. We report here a systematic investigation of the transmetallation of organic groups from zirconium to a variety of boron compounds. The migration is facile to a variety of boron halides, yielding structurally different types of alkyl or alkenylboranes in good to high yields. Exploiting the unique reactivity and selectivity of the hydrozirconation reaction for the preparation of organoboranes expands the range of potential of both metals for synthesis.

Genetic parameters such as heritability and correlations of fat traits in a Duroc population were dissected using molecular markers. The heritabilities of intramuscular fat in 2 muscles, the gluteus medius and LM, and back fat were 0.54, 0.48, and 0.23, respectively. The genetic correlations were well estimated with standardized SNP effects, being 0.65 between intramuscular fat traits and ∼0.37 between any intramuscular fat trait and back fat. Genetic correlations were overestimated when ignoring molecular information. Twelve chromosomes showed additive genetic variance for intramuscular fat compared with 8 for back fat. Population structure was accommodated using 4 different models. The number of significant, P5 × 10(-5) (suggestive, P2 × 10(-3)), SNP varied across models and ranged from 0 to 4 (2 to 261) for intramuscular fat in the gluteus medius, from 0 to 57 (9 to 564) for intramuscular fat in the LM, and from 3 to 4 (22 to 168) for back fat. Several SNP showed significant deviations from an additive mode of action. Only 2 SNP significantly affected 2 traits simultaneously.

Intramuscular fat (IMF) storage is a biological process with a strong impact on nutritional and technological properties of meat and also with relevant consequences on human health. The genetic architecture of IMF content and composition phenotypes has been thoroughly studied in pigs through the identification of QTL and the estimation of genetic parameters. A question that has not been elucidated yet is if the genetic determinants of IMF-related phenotypes are muscle specific or, conversely, have broad effects on the whole skeletal muscle compartment. We have addressed this question by generating lipid QTL maps for 2 muscles with a high commercial value, gluteus medius (GM) and longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL), in a Duroc commercial population (n = 350). Our data support a lack of concordance between the GM and LTL QTL maps, suggesting that the effects of polymorphisms influencing IMF, cholesterol, and fatty acid contents are modulated to some extent by complex spatial factors related to muscle location, metabolism, and function. These results have important implications on the implementation of genomic selection schemes aimed to improve the lipid profile of swine meat.

The reaction of the anhydrides of boronic or borinic acids with trihaloboranes in hydrocarbon solvents leads to the clean exchange of the oxygen and halide to form the organodihaloboranes and diorganohaloboranes in good to excellent yields.

The hydrozirconation of alkenes or alkynes yields the dicyclopentadienyl alkyl- or alkenylzirconium chloride, respectively, in high yields and with high regioselectivity. The reaction of these organozirconium compounds with a boron halide results in the exchange of the halogen and organic group, forming the organoborane. We report here a systematic investigation of the transmetallation of organic groups from zirconium to a variety of boron compounds. The migration is facile to a variety of boron halides, yielding structurally different types of alkyl or alkenylboranes in good to high yields. Exploiting the unique reactivity and selectivity of the hydrozirconation reaction for the preparation of organoboranes expands the range of potential of both metals for synthesis.

The antitumor potential of Gymnosperma glutinosum was previously reported using the in vitro and in vivo L5178Y-R lymphoma murine model. The present study was carried out to isolate and identify the cytotoxic compounds present in the Gymnosperma glutinosum leaf hexane extract. Gymnosperma glutinosum was collected in the semi-arid region of Escobedo, State of Nuevo León, México, but it is commonly found in northeastern Mexico; it is traditionally used as a treatment for diarrhea, ulcers and rheumatism. G. glutinosum leaves were extracted with hexane and further fractioned and subfractioned over silica gel by gradient elution with hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol. The cytotoxicity of fractions and subfractions was assessed in vitro against L5178Y-R lymphoma cells. Structure elucidation of the active compounds was determined by spectroscopic methods. Fractions and subfractions showed significant (p 0.05) and concentration-dependent 20% to 56% cytotoxicity against L5178Y-R cells at concentrations ranging from 7.8 µg/mL to 500 µg/mL. The bioassay-guided fractionation of the hexane extract resulted in the isolation and identification of the alkane hentriacontane and the diterpene ent-labd-7-en-13S,14R,15-triol as the metabolites responsible for the activity.

Concern about pork quality has increased during last decades. Given the influence of fat content and composition on sensorial, nutritional, and technological variables of pork meat, an accurate knowledge about genetic control of pig lipid metabolism is required. This study focused on providing a broad characterization for serum and meat lipid trait heritability estimates in pigs. Analyses were performed on a population of 370 Duroc barrows and measured the additive polygenic background for the serum concentrations of cholesterol, triglyceride, and low- and high-density lipoproteins at 45 and 190 d of age (at slaughter), as well as intramuscular fat, cholesterol content, and C:12 to C:22 fatty acid content in longissimus thoracis et lumborum and gluteus medius muscles at slaughter. These traits were analyzed under Bayesian univariate animal linear models, and the statistical relevance of heritability estimates was evaluated through Bayes factor (BF); the model with polygenic additive effects was favored when BF1. All serum lipid traits showed relevant genetic determinism, but the BF reached greater values at 190 d of age. Serum lipid traits displayed moderate modal estimates for heritability that ranged from 0.18 to 0.30. On the other hand, the genetic determinism for meat quality traits showed a heterogeneous behavior with large and less-than-1 BF. In general, longissimus thoracis et lumborum and gluteus medius muscles showed a similar pattern, with strong evidence of polygenic additive effects for intramuscular fat and palmitic, stearic, and cis-vaccenic fatty acids content, whereas oleic and muscle cholesterol content showed moderate to weak BF with moderate heritabilities. Similarly, results regarding linoleic, arachidonic, n-3, and n-6 fatty acids suggested a moderate genetic determinism, but only in gluteus medius muscle. For the remaining traits (myristic and palmitoleic fatty acids in both muscles, along with linoleic, arachidonic, n-3, and n-6 fatty acids in the longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle), no statistical evidence for genetic control was observed in this study. As a whole, these results confirm the complexity of lipid metabolism in pigs.

The reaction of the anhydrides of boronic or borinic acids with trihaloboranes in hydrocarbon solvents leads to the clean exchange of the oxygen and halide to form the organodihaloboranes and diorganohaloboranes in good to excellent yields.

A Bayesian threshold model was fitted to analyze the genetic parameters for farrowing mortality at the piglet level in Large White, Landrace, and Pietrain populations. Field data were collected between 1999 and 2006. They were provided by 3 pig selection nucleus farms of a commercial breeding company registered in the Spanish Pig Data Bank (BDporc). Analyses were performed on 3 data sets of Large White (60,535 piglets born from 4,551 litters), Landrace (57,987 piglets from 5,008 litters), and Pietrain (42,707 piglets from 4,328 litters) populations. In the analysis, farrowing mortality was considered as a binary trait at the piglet level and scored as 1 (alive piglet) or 0 (dead piglet) at farrowing or within the first 12 h of life. Each breed was analyzed separately, and operational models included systematic effects (year-season, sex, litter size, and order of parity), direct and maternal additive genetic effects, and common litter effects. Analyses were performed by Bayesian methods using Gibbs sampling. The posterior means of direct heritability were 0.02, 0.06, and 0.10, and the posterior means of maternal heritability were 0.05, 0.13, and 0.06 for Large White, Landrace, and Pietrain populations, respectively. The posterior means of genetic correlation between the direct and maternal genetic effects for Landrace and Pietrain populations were -0.56 and -0.53, and the highest posterior intervals at 95% did not include zero. In contrast, the posterior mean of the genetic correlation between direct and maternal effects was 0.15 in the Large White population, with the null correlation included in the highest posterior interval at 95%. These results suggest that the genetic model of evaluation for the Landrace and Pietrain populations should include direct and maternal genetic effects, whereas farrowing mortality could be considered as a sow trait in the Large White population.

This paper considers iterative learning control applied to a mass-damper system subject to dry friction. The dry friction nonlinearity is discontinuous, and therefore poses challenges to the conventional learning control methods. We apply the passivity based analysis in learning control and show that it is applicable to the case with velocity output. In the case of combined position and velocity output, the passivity approach is not directly applicable. We derive a modified update law based on the 2D system perspective and adjust the combination coefficient in every iteration step to ensure passivity. Asymptotic convergence is shown under the condition that the combination coefficient does not asymptotically vanish. Simulation results are included to demonstrate the performance of these algorithms.