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Customer engagement in value co-creation is a key strategy to enhance company performance and strategic advantage. Although frontline employees play an important role in customer engagement - particularly in high contact services such as hotels - little research has tried to understand how employees view the value co-creation process. Hence, this study explores how hotel employees view the value co-creation process in hotels, by considering the motivations and roles of consumers and providers, and the outcomes of customer engagement in the value co-creation process. Analysis of qualitative data from an exploratory focus group with experts and context interviews with hotel employees finds mostly similarities in the way experts and employees view the value co-creation process but also some differences. Employee interviews reveal systematic attempts to engage customers in value co-creation only in high-end hotels. An overwhelming consensus is identified among participants that co-creation has a critical influence in enhancing customer experience and hotel performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among various metal additive manufacturing (AM) technologies, L-PBF is known for fabricating intricate components. However, due to step edges and powder particle attachments, attaining a good surface finish is challenging, especially on downskin surfaces. Contour scanning has potential to improve surface quality because such scanning may dominate the surface formation of sloped features. This study evaluates the effects of pre- and post-contouring strategies on the sloped downskin surfaces fabricated using a commercial L-PBF system with Ti6Al4V powder. L-PBF parts printed at inclination angles 30°, 45° and 60° were investigated. A double-contouring approach with varying processing conditions was employed and surface characteristics were analyzed using data acquired by white light interferometry. The average surface roughness, Sa, surface skewness, Ssk, and percentage area of powder particles attached onto surfaces were statistically evaluated. The lowest Sa obtained for pre- and post-contoured samples is 14.08 µm and 18.88 µm, respectively. For both strategies, the combination of a low laser power and a high scan speed on the interface of downskin surface and underneath powder results in smoother surfaces. However, while comparing both strategies, pre-contouring gives better surface finish for samples built at similar processing conditions, with a difference of nearly 5 µm in Sa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding physicians' labour supply changes during the COVID-19 pandemic informs health workforce planning. Using representative Canadian data, we observed a reduction in work hours during the first wave. However, hours did not differ from pre-pandemic norms throughout subsequent phases. Reductions were concentrated among community-based family practitioners and specialists, whereas hospital-based physicians, on average, maintained their pre-pandemic hours. Notably, men and women exhibited statistically indistinguishable declines, with a slightly larger reduction observed among men. Except for single parents with children, whose hours did not decline, observed reductions were very similar across marital status and for women and men with and without children, even young children. There were no differences in hour declines by immigration status. Physicians aged older than 60 years experienced larger reductions in hours than younger ones. With some variations, similar trends were observed for absences. No evidence supported the notion that physicians were more likely to exit practice during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Physician work hours directly influence patient access to health care services and play a vital role in physician human resource planning. We sought to evaluate long-term trends in hours worked by physicians in Canada, overall and by subgroup. Methods: We used Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey to identify physicians via occupation and industry coding information. We estimated descriptive statistics and performed graphical analysis of the average weekly hours worked by physicians over the 1987–2021 period. Results: Overall, weekly physician work hours remained stable from 1987 until 1997, after which they declined. Average weekly hours decreased by 6.9 hours (p < 0.001), from 52.8 in 1987–1991 to 45.9 in 2017–2021. Among male physicians, work hours declined notably after 1997, while those of female physicians remained relatively stable at around 45 per week. Hours worked by married physicians declined significantly, amounting to 7.4 fewer hours per week (p = 0.001). In contrast, unmarried physicians displayed a statistically insignificant decline of 2.2 hours (p = 0.3). The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a sharp but brief disruption in weekly hours; by the end of 2020, physicians' work hours had returned to prepandemic levels. Interpretation: These findings may indicate a long-term shift in work preferences among Canadian physicians; male physicians may be seeking a better work–life balance, which, in turn, has narrowed the gap in hours worked by sex, with potential implications for pay equity. Policymakers and planners should carefully consider changes in hours worked, rather than just the total number of physicians, to ensure an accurate evaluation of the physician workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the association of household fuel use with hypertension, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) among adult women. Methods: A cross‐sectional survey through face‐to‐face interviews and blood pressure (BP) measurement were conducted among 2182 randomly selected women (1236 solid fuel users and 946 clean fuel users) in rural areas of Bangladesh. Results: Overall, 21% of women were hypertensive. Mean SBP and DBP for the study population were 121.27 mmHg (SD ± 15.43) and 76.18 mmHg (SD ± 12.00), respectively. Hypertension was found significantly (p =.006) higher among solid fuel users (23%) compared to clean fuel users (18%). Women using solid fuels have a 35% higher chance (AOR: 1.35, CI: 1.10–1.80) of having hypertension and have more than twice the risk of developing elevated SBP (AOR: 2.01, CI: 1.55–2.95) relative to women using clean fuels for their daily cooking. The probability of hypertension (AOR: 1.39, CI: 1.17–1.60) and elevated SBP (AOR: 1.35, CI: 1.10–1.61) increased significantly for every hour of fuel use. Conclusions: Using clean fuel, reducing the duration of daily cooking time, and improved cooking facilities may help minimizing hypertension and ultimately cardiovascular disease risk among women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this Letter, we present a design of a helimagnet-based emerging memory device that is capable of storing multiple bits of information per device. The device consists of a helimagnet layer placed between two ferromagnetic layers, which allows us to lock-in specific spin configurations. The bottom pinned layer has high anisotropy energy or stays exchange biased, which keeps its spin configuration fixed on a specific direction, while the top layer is free to rotate under the influence of in-plane magnetic fields. We begin by finding the relaxed spin structure, which is the result of the competition between the Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction (DMI) and exchange energy and is referred to as the equilibrium state ("0"). The writing of a memory state is simulated by applying an in-plane field that rotates and transforms the spin configurations of the memory device. Our results indicate that stable configurations can be achieved at rotations of an integer multiple of 180° (corresponding to states "−2," "−1," "1," "2," etc.), where the anisotropy stabilizes the free layer and, thus, the exchange coupled helimagnet. These states are separated by magnetic energy barriers and intermediate, unstable spin configurations tend to revert to their adjacent states. By simply changing the direction of the field, we can achieve multi-bit data storage per unit memory cell. The maximum number of bits is reached when the anisotropy energy barriers cannot withstand the strong DMI energy. Reading can be done by evaluating the different resistance states due to the twisted spin texture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As our analysis shows, the increasing needs of an aging population have been empirically important since around 2005, while the supply of physician service hours has simultaneously declined in a manner that is largely unrelated to the evolving age-sex composition of the physician workforce. Adjustment for physician hours of work showed that, starting in the mid-1990s, a gap opened between the number of physicians and the FTE number of physicians. Although Canada's absolute physician-to-population ratio has increased and is at an historic high, reports of physician shortages and inadequate patient access to physicians abound. [Extracted from the article]

Fish seed are important for the growth of aquaculture in Bangladesh, but there are many challenges associated with supplying quality fish seed. This review evaluated the current level of production, issues and challenges that are affecting the production of fish seed in Bangladesh. The fish hatchery was found to be the major contributor in terms of fish seed production. Out of 671 metric tons of fish seed produced in 2020–2021, above 99% were from hatcheries. Freshwater finfish hatcheries have expanded over the last 30 yr, and are distributed throughout the country, but there is no commercial hatchery for coastal and marine water finfish species in the country. Shrimp and prawn hatcheries are concentrated in Cox's Bazar and the greater Jassore regions, respectively, while crab culture is entirely dependent on wild capture. Crablets are collected from nature, which has a devastating impact on biodiversity and wild stocks. The fish seed value chain is multidirectional and interlinked, and intermediaries dominate the supply chain. Disease outbreaks and indiscriminate use of chemicals are major concerns in fish seed production. Management strategies such as the introduction of certification, training programs, technology transfer, access to credit, and implementation of the law could improve the quality and productivity of fish seed in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complexity of corrosion mechanisms in harsh offshore environments poses safety and integrity challenges to oil and gas operations. Exploring the unstable interactions and complex mechanisms required an advanced probabilistic model. The current study presents the development of a probabilistic approach for a consequence-based assessment of subsea pipelines exposed to complex corrosion mechanisms. The Bayesian Probabilistic Network (BPN) is applied to structurally learn the propagation and interactions among under-deposit corrosion and microbial corrosion for the failure state prediction of the asset. A two-step consequences analysis is inferred from the failure state to establish the failure impact on the environment, lives, and economic losses. The essence is to understand how the interactions between the under-deposit and microbial corrosion mechanisms' nodes influence the likely number of spills on the environment. The associated cost of failure consequences is predicted using the expected utility decision theory. The proposed approach is tested on a corroding subsea pipeline (API X60) to predict the degree of impact of the failed state on the asset's likely consequences. At the worst degradation state, the failure consequence expected utility gives 1.0822 × 10 8   USD. The influence-based model provides a prognostic tool for proactive integrity management planning for subsea systems exposed to stochastic degradation in harsh offshore environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Situation Awareness (SA) is a cornerstone for system verification and validation, particularly vital at the future Shore Control Centre (SCC). However, engine room monitoring (ERM) receives little attention regarding the SA. This research conducted two Likert-type surveys with 201 marine engineers and employed a descriptive statistic and the Mann–Whitney U test to investigate cue strengths in forming comprehension around the engine room and generality in cue strengths by ship types, experience and ranks of respondents. The importance varies to different extents, and their perspectives seem not to deviate much, with the max disagreement rate at 12% by ship types and the ranks of respondents. The extent of disagreement tends to reduce with the increment of experience thresholds. The outcomes offer a promising strategy for developing a human-centred monitoring system to mitigate the potential risk of information overload and incorrect schema instantiation at the future SCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human errors during maintenance operations are one of the most prevalent causes of marine accidents. Seafarers conduct marine system maintenance on-board in a challenging environment, which makes maintenance prone to un-intentional errors. To address this concern, the study of human performance during maintenance operations on ships is necessary as a part of maritime quantitative risk assessment. However, there is a significant lack of appropriate field data and information relating to human performance on-board ships. This study attempts to fill this important data and knowledge gap. It presents a data collection and analysis procedures for maintenance operations of marine systems. Data related to performance-affecting factors is collected from a total of 235 experienced seafarers from Engine Departments (ED) and Deck Departments (DD) through a structured questionnaire. The collected data is then analysed for normality and also for a pairwise significance test. It helps to study the generalization of the data and also to identify the relative importance of the performance-affecting factors. Collected data will help in developing human error assessment techniques for more accurate Human Error Probability (HEP) estimation in marine environmental conditions. Additionally, this study is useful for identifying the relative importance of performance-affecting factors for the maintenance operations of marine systems. Based on the results of this study, workload and stress, and ship motion (roll and pitch) are identified as critical factors affecting seafarers’ performance during maintenance operations. These identified high important performance-affecting factors will assist in future human reliability analysis and risk mitigation strategies for improving the safety and reliability of maintenance operations for the marine industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human error is a dominant factor in marine operations, on a daily basis many accidents occur due to human error during maintenance activities of ships. Assessment of the likelihood of human error is essential to minimize accidents and incidents during maintenance operations of marine engines. Most of the current techniques to estimate Human Error Probability (HEP) require significant technical and manpower (expert) resources. The main aim of this study is to develop a monograph for assessing the likelihood of human error in marine operations that can be applied for instant decision making. Due to the lack of human error data for marine operations, the Success Likelihood Index Method (SLIM) is used to estimate HEP. The developed monograph can be helpful for chief engineers or captains in the decision making process for various scheduled and unscheduled maintenance operations. This monograph could also be used as guidance for ship owners, operators, masters and classification societies to better prepare, prioritise and sort maintenance activities for safe and reliable marine operations. It can serve as a helpful tool to reduce the potential of accident occurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human error is a crucial factor in the shipping industry and not to mention numerous human errors occur during the maintenance procedures of marine engines. Determination of human error probabilities (HEPs) is important to reduce the human errors and prevent the accidents. Nevertheless, determination of HEPs in the maintenance procedures of marine engines has not been given desired attention. The aim of this study is to determine the HEPs for the maintenance procedures of the marine engines to minimize the human errors and preclude accidents from the shipping industry. The Success Likelihood Index Method is used to determine the HEPs due to the unavailability of human error data for maintenance procedures of marine engines. The results showed that among the 43 considered activities in this study, inspection and overhauls piston/piston rings have the lowest HEP meaning it has a lower consequence for accidents. On the other hand, fuel and lubricating oil filters pressure difference checking and renews filter elements activity have the highest HEP indicating it has high chances for accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theoretically, tetragonal lattice distortion of FeCo epitaxial films can result in a very large in‐plane magnetic anisotropy field, leading to an extremely high ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) frequency. Herein, Fe75Co25$\left(\text{Fe}\right)_{75} \left(\text{Co}\right)_{25}$ thin films are epitaxially grown on (001) MgAl2O4 single‐crystal substrates. A triclinic lattice distortion with a≠b≠c$a \neq b \neq c$, instead of a tetragonal one, is found in the FeCo films. The cubic symmetry breaking leads to a deviation of easy axes from the 100$100$ directions, forming a distribution of magnetic moments with a strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) along the out‐of‐plane [001] directions and a deviation of the in‐plane components from the ([10 100]) directions. The effective field of the former is as high as 1.5–2.5 T, enough to overcome the thin film shape anisotropy, while that of the latter stays at a low value of around 0.05 T. The strain‐induced PMA gradually relaxes to in‐plane for thicker films with a strained sublayer remaining. As a result, an extremely high out‐of‐plane FMR frequency over 40 GHz is achieved, accompanied by a lower in‐plane FMR frequency around 8 GHz. This study provides a possible approach to prepare self‐biased soft magnetic films with extremely high‐resonance frequency for applications in microwave‐integrated circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compared the Perception and Practice of Food Habit and Nutritional Status of Adolescent Girls between Garment Workers and School Going Girls in Bangladesh. Adolescent health has become one of the most widely discussed and sensitive issues. In Bangladesh 21% is adolescent of the total population. Adolescent girls need more food, care and knowledge about nutritive food. In Bangladesh more than one third of adolescents are not properly aware of the increased nutritional requirement during the adolescent period for proper growth. A cross sectional study was conducted in Samars Fashion Tex Ltd. Badda, FS Sweater Ltd Mirpur, Dhaka and Azimpur Girls High School, Kurmitola High School, Ali Hussein Girls High School, Jatrabari Ideal School, Udayan High School in Dhaka city. Total sample size was 210 and study was based on adolescent girls' aged between 10 to 19 years. 110 adolescent girls were randomly chosen from the two garment industries and 100 adolescent girls from the five schools in Dhaka city. In our study, both of the groups have good perception about nutritive food, P value =0.004. Both of them think that they need more food during pregnancy, P value = 0.005. The hygiene practices in both groups were almost 90% hygienic. Based on the results of this study, it is possible to decrease the superstition and restriction about food habit. The improvements could be made by providing correct and specific nutrition education to the garment workers and school going adolescent girls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing need for cleaner and sustainable shipping operations, especially in the Arctic waters, has informed the rising technological advancements in ship nuclear power machinery (SNPM) design, such as the generation IV (GenIV) small modular reactor (SMR). Nuclear technology has also provided a potential alternative to decarbonization in the maritime industry. The recent design advances present safety challenges that need to be comprehensively studied and understood. The current study shows a review of the advancements in nuclear plant design and fault-based analysis towards safety in maritime operations. A systematic approach is adopted to explore the design improvements, operational challenges, fault diagnostics methodologies, and risk assessment frameworks for SNPM. While exploring the current state of knowledge on system design and fault-based risk assessment, the study highlights key research opportunities to provide a robust risk management framework towards safer nuclear-powered shipping operations, such as digitalization, resilient system design, and the internet of things (IoT). This study finds that the state of knowledge is inexhaustive and proposes a preliminary hybrid framework, able to integrate the hierarchical hazard structure into a fault-based risk aggregation methodology for risk-informed decision making in nuclear-powered shipping operations. • An overview of advances in nuclear system design and fault-based analysis. • A systematic approach is adopted to explore the recent development in marine reactors. • Research opportunities to enhance safety at sea via digitalization and machine learning is presented. • An integrated framework for multi-hazard risk assessment towards safer nuclear-powered shipping is introduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the gross investment behavior in a panel of 97 developing countries spanning a period between 1973 and 2002. Fixed Effect Model is employed to analyze data. Variance Inflation Factor (VIF) test is conducted to ensure that the data are free from multicollinearity. Also, Granger Causality test is conducted to see if reverse causality exists. 2- Step 1st Difference Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) dynamic panel estimator has been employed to offset unobserved heterogeneity and endogeneity of regressors. The results suggest that investment decisions still seem to be significantly affected by traditional determinants such as growth, domestic savings, trade openness etc. The variable aid appeared to potentially affect investment which calls for developing country's measures to ensure proper utilization of it. However, we failed to highlight the effect of real interest rate and uncertainty on investment attributing the former to macroeconomic volatility and latter to lack of data on corruption index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the mechanical performance of jute yarn, grafting with acrylamide (AM) monomer has been performed on in situ UV radiation and optimized; the monomer concentration (30%) and irradiation time (60 min) attained 195% tensile strength with 22% polymer loading (PL). The effect of amino acids (1%) as additives in AM with photografted jute yarn at optimized system has been studied. The PL and tensile properties, such as tensile strength (TS) and elongation at break (Eb), of treated samples were enhanced by incorporation of amino acids, and the highest TS value (270%) and Eb value (300%) with 27% PL value were achieved by the sample treated with L-arginine (Arg). Weak acid [3% acetic acid (Ace)] and strong acid [1% sulfuric acid (Sul)] were also incorporated in the optimized system of AM grafting to investigate their effect on the mechanical properties of photografted jute yarn. Water absorption and weathering resistance of treated untreated samples (TS0) were also studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Microwave-assisted modified Sandmeyer reactions of oximinoacetanilides, themselves obtained from substituted primary aromatic amines, in concentrated H2SO4 give isatins. N-Acetylisatins undergo ring cleavage and subsequent ring closing with alkanediamines in the presence of ethanol under MW irradiation to give the corresponding dihydropyrazinones in excellent yields. Modification of the reaction conditions affords bis-benzoylketones under MW irradiation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Conservation of genetic resources is of great concern globally to maintain genetic diversity for sustainable food security. Comprehensive identification of the breed composition, estimation of inbreeding and effective population size are essential for the effective management of farm animal genetic resources and to prevent the animals from genetic erosion. The Zhongwei male (ZWM), Arbas Cashmere male (ACM) and Jining Grey male (JGM) goats are conserved in three different state goat farms in China but their family information, level of inbreeding and effective population size are unknown. We investigated the genomic relationship, inbreeding coefficient and effective population size in these three breeds from three state goat farms using the Illumina goat SNP50 BeadChip. Genomic relationships and phylogenetic analysis revealed that the breeds are clearly separated and formed separate clusters based on their genetic relationship. We obtained a high proportion of informative SNPs, ranging from 91.8% in the Arbas Cashmere male to 96.2% in the Jining Grey male goat breeds with an average mean of 96.8%. Inbreeding, as measured by FROH, ranged from 1.79% in ZWM to 8.62% in ACM goat populations. High FROH values, elevated genomic coverage of very long ROH (>30 Mb) and severe decline in effective population size were recorded in ACM goat farm. The existence of a high correlation between FHOM and FROH indicates that FROH can be used as an alternative to inbreeding estimates in the absence of pedigree records. The Ne estimates 13 generations ago were 166, 69 and 79 for ZWM, ACM and JGM goat farm, respectively indicating that these goat breeds were strongly affected by selection pressure or genetic drift. This study provides insight into the genomic relationship, levels of inbreeding and effective population size in the studied goat populations conserved in the state goat farms which will be valuable in prioritizing populations for conservation and for developing suitable management practices for further genetic improvement of these Chinese male goats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Breast cancer is one of the leading cancer causes among women worldwide. It can be classified as invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) or metastatic cancer. Early detection of breast cancer is challenging due to the lack of early warning signs. Generally, a mammogram is recommended by specialists for screening. Existing approaches are not accurate enough for real‐time diagnostic applications and thus require better and smarter cancer diagnostic approaches. This study aims to develop a customized machine‐learning framework that will give more accurate predictions for IDC and metastasis cancer classification. Methods: This work proposes a convolutional neural network (CNN) model for classifying IDC and metastatic breast cancer. The study utilized a large‐scale dataset of microscopic histopathological images to automatically perceive a hierarchical manner of learning and understanding. Results: It is evident that using machine learning techniques significantly (15%–25%) boost the effectiveness of determining cancer vulnerability, malignancy, and demise. The results demonstrate an excellent performance ensuring an average of 95% accuracy in classifying metastatic cells against benign ones and 89% accuracy was obtained in terms of detecting IDC. Conclusions: The results suggest that the proposed model improves classification accuracy. Therefore, it could be applied effectively in classifying IDC and metastatic cancer in comparison to other state‐of‐the‐art models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common and debilitating mental illness characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a lack of interest in daily activities. The objective of this study was to investigate whether levels of macrophage inflammatory protein-1β (MIP-1β) and macrophage chemoattractant protein-2 (MCP-2) in the blood were associated with the pathophysiology and development of MDD compared to healthy controls (HCs). Methods: This case-control study was conducted involving 50 MDD patients and 38 HCs. We performed a comprehensive assessment to match age, sex, BMI, and socio-demographic profile between the groups. The study excluded participants with chronic infection, inflammatory diseases, coexisting psychiatric disorder, history of liver and kidney diseases, and individuals who are under antipsychotic medications. A professional psychiatrist diagnosed MDD patients and evaluated HCs based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5) criteria. The severity of depression was assessed using the Hamilton Depression (Ham-D) rating scale. Commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits were used to quantify the serum MIP-1β and MCP-2 levels. Results: The results indicated elevated serum MIP-1β levels (207.73±24.24 pg/ml) in MDD patients compared to HCs (58.77±9.14 pg/ml). This difference in concentration is positively correlated with severity of disease symptoms (r = 0.451; p<0.001). Similarly, the levels of MCP-2 were found to be elevated in patients compared to controls (143.61±19.92 vs. 56.84±4.02 pg/ml; p = 0.003), with a positive correlation with the Ham-D scores (r = 0.373; p = 0.004). Conclusion: According to this study, elevated levels of MIP-1β and MCP-2 may be associated with the pathophysiology and development of MDD. These increased serum MIP-1β and MCP-2 levels could be used as risk assessment tools for MDD. The present findings urge further research and the development of therapeutic and diagnostic approaches for depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detection of selection footprints provides insight into the evolution process and the underlying mechanisms controlling the phenotypic diversity of traits that have been exposed to selection. Selection focused on certain characters, mapping certain genomic regions often shows a loss of genetic diversity with an increased level of homozygosity. Therefore, the runs of homozygosity (ROHs), homozygosity by descent (HBD), and effective population size (Ne) are effective tools for exploring the genetic diversity, understanding the demographic history, foretelling the signature of directional selection, and improving the breeding strategies to use and conserve genetic resources. We characterized the ROH, HBD, Ne, and signature of selection of six Chinese goat populations using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) 50K Illumina beadchips. Our results show an inverse relationship between the length and frequency of ROH. A long ROH length, higher level of inbreeding, long HBD segment, and smaller Ne in Guangfeng (GF) goats suggested intensive selection pressure and recent inbreeding in this breed. We identified six reproduction-related genes within the genomic regions with a high ROH frequency, of which two genes overlapped with a putative selection signature. The estimated pair-wise genetic differentiation (FST) among the populations is 9.60% and the inter- and intra-population molecular variations are 9.68% and 89.6%, respectively, indicating low to moderate genetic differentiation. Our selection signatures analysis revealed 54 loci harboring 86 putative candidate genes, with a strong signature of selection. Further analysis showed that several candidate genes, including MARF1, SYCP2, TMEM200C, SF1, ADCY1, and BMP5, are involved in goat fecundity. We identified 11 candidate genes by using cross-population extended haplotype homozygosity (XP-EHH) estimates, of which MARF1 and SF1 are under strong positive selection, as they are differentiated in high and low reproduction groups according to the three approaches used. Gene ontology enrichment analysis revealed that different biological pathways could be involved in the variation of fecundity in female goats. This study provides a new insight into the ROHs patterns for maintenance of within breed diversity and suggests a role of positive selection for genetic variation influencing fecundity in Chinese goat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new strange star model based on Durgapal IV metric (Durgapal in J. Phys. A 15:2637, 1982) is presented here. Here we have applied a specific method to study the inner physical properties of the compact objects 4U 1702-429, 2A 1822-371, PSR J1756-2251, PSR J1802-2124 and PSR J1713+0747. The main objective of our study is to determine central density ( ρ 0 ), surface density ( ρ b ), central pressure ( p 0 ), surface redshift ( Z s ), compactness and radius. Further we perform different tests to study the stability of our model and finally we are able to give an equation based on pressure and density i.e. probable equation of state (EoS) which has an important significances in the field of Astrophysics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Information on linkage disequilibrium (LD) and the extent of effective population size (Ne) has important implications for exploring the degree of biological diversity, for predicting underlying selection pressure, and for designing animal breeding programs. In this study, we assessed LD, Ne, and the distribution of minor allele frequency in six goat populations. Accordingly, the results of LD and Ne using a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) panel (Caprine SNP 50K BeadChip, Lincoln, NE, USA) are helpful for the sustainable conservation, proper management, and utilization of Chinese goat populations. Genome-wide linkage disequilibrium is a useful parameter to study quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping and genetic selection. In many genomic methodologies, effective population size is an important genetic parameter because of its relationship to the loss of genetic variation, increases in inbreeding, the accumulation of mutations, and the effectiveness of selection. In this study, a total of 193 individuals were genotyped to assess the extent of LD and Ne in six Chinese goat populations using the SNP 50K BeadChip. Across the determined autosomal chromosomes, we found an average of 0.02 and 0.23 for r2 and D' values, respectively. The average r2 between all the populations varied little and ranged from 0.055 r2 for the Jining Grey to 0.128 r2 for the Guangfeng, with an overall mean of 0.083. Across the 29 autosomal chromosomes, minor allele frequency (MAF) was highest on chromosome 1 (0.321) and lowest on chromosome 25 (0.309), with an average MAF of 0.317, and showing the lowest (25.5% for Louping) and highest (28.8% for Qingeda) SNP proportions at MAF values > 0.3. The inbreeding coefficient ranged from 0.064 to 0.085, with a mean of 0.075 for all the autosomes. The Jining Grey and Qingeda populations showed higher Ne estimates, highlighting that these animals could have been influenced by artificial selection. Furthermore, a declining recent Ne was distinguished for the Arbas Cashmere and Guangfeng populations, and their estimated values were closer to 64 and 95, respectively, 13 generations ago, which indicates that these breeds were exposed to strong selection. This study provides an insight into valuable genetic information and will open up the opportunity for further genomic selection analysis of Chinese goat populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prevalence of pre‐hypertension is higher among young adults and may increase the risk for hypertension and cardiovascular morbidity. Music therapy has been investigated to reduce the blood pressure in the hypertensive population; however, its efficacy on blood pressure in pre‐hypertensive young adults is not known. Thirty pre‐hypertensive (systolic blood pressure [SBP] = 120‐139 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure [DBP] = 80‐89 mmHg) young adults were recruited and randomly assigned into two groups. Music group (N = 15) received music therapy by passive listening to music for 30 minutes/day, 5 days/week for 4 weeks, along with Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan (a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, low‐fat dairy or unsaturated fat) and limit the daily sodium intake less than 100 mmol/day. The control group (N = 15) practiced only DASH eating plan and sodium restriction. The SBP, DBP, and heart rate (HR) were measured before and after 4 weeks of intervention. There was a significant reduction in SBP (8.73 mmHg, p <.001) and HR (6.42 beats/minute, p =.002); however, the reduction in DBP (1.44 mmHg, p =.101) was not statistically significant in the music group. Control group did not exhibit any significant reduction in SBP (0.21 mmHg, p <.836), DBP (0.81 mmHg, p <.395) and HR (0.09 beats/minute, p <.935). In conclusion, music therapy reduced significantly SBP and HR suggesting that it could be a promising tool to prevent the progression of pre‐hypertension toward hypertension among young adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, parabolic trough solar thermal plants are proposed. Two key parameters, solar multiple (SM) and full load hours of thermal energy storage (TES), are optimised by maximising the annual energy and minimising the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). This work presents a comparative study, based on the 4E (energy–exergy–environment–economic) analysis, of the optimised plant with a reference plant. The performance evaluation of the optimised plant is carried out in eight different locations of Bangladesh. The result obtained shows that the salt plant has the best performance compared to that of the thermal oil plant. The salt plant requires a lower LCOE of 9.86 ¢/kWh. It also possesses a maximum capacity factor of 39.5% and generates the highest annual energy of 171.1 GWh. From the feasibility study, Cox's Bazar is found as the best location of eight different regions of Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extremely High Frequency In an epitaxial FeCo/MgAl2O4 system, there exist strong perpendicular anisotropy fields due to the presence of large triclinic strain near the interface, and self‐biased ferromagnetic resonance well into the EHF bands are observed. Strain relaxation with thickness leads to another lower ferromagnetic resonance frequency around 8 GHz from the upper portion of the film with the regular in‐plane anisotropy. See article number 2300438, by Guo‐Xing Miao, Shandong Li, and co‐workers for more details. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strain relaxation with thickness leads to another lower ferromagnetic resonance frequency around 8 GHz from the upper portion of the film with the regular in-plane anisotropy. B Extremely High Frequency b In an epitaxial FeCo/MgAl SB 2 sb O SB 4 sb system, there exist strong perpendicular anisotropy fields due to the presence of large triclinic strain near the interface, and self-biased ferromagnetic resonance well into the EHF bands are observed. [Extracted from the article]

The effects of seaweed (Padina tetrastromatica, Sargassum natans, and Sargassum fluitans) ethanolic extracts on the quality and shelf life extension of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fillets were investigated during refrigerated storage for 20 days. Each of the seaweed ethanolic extracts solution (2%, w/v) was used for dipping the fish fillets for 10 min at 4°C. The control and seaweed extract‐treated fillets were stored at 4 ± 1°C in air‐tight polyethylene bags, and chemical, bacteriological, and sensory evaluation were performed at every 4 days' intervals. During the storage period, P. tetrastromatica extract significantly (p <.05) reduced the increment of pH, peroxide value, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, and total volatile basic nitrogen values in Nile tilapia fillets compared to other seaweed extracts‐treated and untreated fillets. The maximal total viable count of control, P. tetrastromatica, S. natans, and S. fluitans extracts‐treated fillets was 6.53, 7.11, 6.75, and 7.10 log CFU/g at the 8th, 20th, 12th, and 16th days of storage, respectively. The total psychrotrophic count of control and seaweed extracts‐treated fillets was also significantly increased (p <.05) throughout the storage period. The P. tetrastromatica extracts‐treated fillets showed better sensory characteristics than other seaweed extracts‐treated and control fillets. Results of this study suggest that ethanolic extracts (2%, w/v) of P. tetrastromatica extend the shelf life for 12 days longer than the control fillets in refrigerated conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we propose a model for the Pulsar J0348+0432 (Antoniadis et al. in Science 340:1233232, 2013) in a compact relativistic binary. Here we investigate the physical properties of the Pulsar J0348+0432 by using the Finch and Skea (Class. Quantum Gravity 4:467, 1989) metric. Using our model, we evaluate central density ( $\rho_{0}$ ), surface density ( $\rho_{b}$ ), central pressure ( $p _{0}$ ), surface redshift ( $Z _{s}$ ) and probable radius of the above mentioned compact object, which is very much consistent with reported data. We also obtain a possible equation of state (EoS) of the pulsar which is physically acceptable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the inner structure of some neutron stars from theoretical as well as observational points of view. We calculate the probable radii, compactness ( u) and surface redshift ( Z) of five neutron stars (X-ray binaries) namely 4U 1538-52, LMC X-4, 4U 1820-30, 4U 1608-52, EXO 1745-248. Here, we propose a stiff equation of state (EoS) of matter distribution which relates pressure with matter density. Finally, we check the stability of such kind of theoretical structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An electrochemical glutathione sensor incorporating graphene oxide film and electrodeposited copper nanoparticles layer was investigated. The copper nanoparticles were electrodeposited onto the graphene oxide film to build an ultrasensitive sensing interface with excellent electrocatalytic activity. The electrode materials were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The electrocatalytic activity of the sensor was studied using cyclic voltammetry. The analytical performance of the fabricated sensor scheme with and without graphene oxide and/or copper nanoparticles was determined from direct glutathione injections during an amperometry analysis. The increased electroactive area and the synergistic effect of both graphene oxide and copper nanoparticles resulted in excellent sensitivity (10.52μA.mM-1\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\usepackage{amsmath}\usepackage{wasysym}\usepackage{amsfonts}\usepackage{amssymb}\usepackage{amsbsy}\usepackage{mathrsfs}\usepackage{upgreek}\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt}\begin{document}$$10.52 \mu A.{mM}^{-1}$$\end{document}), lower detection limit (1.82μM\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\usepackage{amsmath}\usepackage{wasysym}\usepackage{amsfonts}\usepackage{amssymb}\usepackage{amsbsy}\usepackage{mathrsfs}\usepackage{upgreek}\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt}\begin{document}$$1.82 \mu M$$\end{document}), wide linear responses over physiologically relevant concentrations, and fast response times (<5s\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\usepackage{amsmath}\usepackage{wasysym}\usepackage{amsfonts}\usepackage{amssymb}\usepackage{amsbsy}\usepackage{mathrsfs}\usepackage{upgreek}\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt}\begin{document}$$<5 s$$\end{document}).Schematic illustration of the electrodeposition of Cu nanoparticles on graphene oxide-modified glassy carbon electrodes and its application as high-performance GSH sensors.Schematic illustration of the electrodeposition of Cu nanoparticles on graphene oxide-modified glassy carbon electrodes and its application as high-performance GSH sensors.Graphical Abstract: An electrochemical glutathione sensor incorporating graphene oxide film and electrodeposited copper nanoparticles layer was investigated. The copper nanoparticles were electrodeposited onto the graphene oxide film to build an ultrasensitive sensing interface with excellent electrocatalytic activity. The electrode materials were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The electrocatalytic activity of the sensor was studied using cyclic voltammetry. The analytical performance of the fabricated sensor scheme with and without graphene oxide and/or copper nanoparticles was determined from direct glutathione injections during an amperometry analysis. The increased electroactive area and the synergistic effect of both graphene oxide and copper nanoparticles resulted in excellent sensitivity (10.52μA.mM-1\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\usepackage{amsmath}\usepackage{wasysym}\usepackage{amsfonts}\usepackage{amssymb}\usepackage{amsbsy}\usepackage{mathrsfs}\usepackage{upgreek}\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt}\begin{document}$$10.52 \mu A.{mM}^{-1}$$\end{document}), lower detection limit (1.82μM\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\usepackage{amsmath}\usepackage{wasysym}\usepackage{amsfonts}\usepackage{amssymb}\usepackage{amsbsy}\usepackage{mathrsfs}\usepackage{upgreek}\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt}\begin{document}$$1.82 \mu M$$\end{document}), wide linear responses over physiologically relevant concentrations, and fast response times (<5s\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\usepackage{amsmath}\usepackage{wasysym}\usepackage{amsfonts}\usepackage{amssymb}\usepackage{amsbsy}\usepackage{mathrsfs}\usepackage{upgreek}\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt}\begin{document}$$<5 s$$\end{document}).Schematic illustration of the electrodeposition of Cu nanoparticles on graphene oxide-modified glassy carbon electrodes and its application as high-performance GSH sensors.Schematic illustration of the electrodeposition of Cu nanoparticles on graphene oxide-modified glassy carbon electrodes and its application as high-performance GSH sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Galectins are a highly conserved family of β-galactoside binding lectins encoded by lectin, galactosidebinding soluble genes (LGALS). They are found on a variety of cells and tissues of vertebrates and invertebrates. Understanding the roles of galectins in host-pathogen interaction and activation of host innate, and adaptive immunity has become an important research question. Galectins are known to play a role in parasitic infection in small ruminants. However, little is known about LGALS variants in sheep and goat breeds across the world. In this study, we investigated galectin single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) variants on five distinct sheep breeds from different geographical regions of Ethiopia. A total of 88 sheep (Arsi-Bale=12, Horro=24, Menz=18, Wolayita=18 and Blackhead Somali=16) were genotyped with Ovine Infinium HD SNP BeadChip (600K). An In Silico approach with Ensembl database (https://useast.ensembl.org/index. html) and SNP BeadChip (perfect matched reference SNP along with their genomic position) identified a total of nineteen SNPs from LGALS-1, -2, -3, -4, -7, -8, -9, -11 and -12 with a consequence of upstream, downstream, and missense gene variant. For all these variants, a highly variable minor allele frequency (MAF) was observed across five sheep populations. We also investigated a total of 308 Chinese goat (Qinggeli=48, Nanjiang=48, Luoping=48, Liaoning=116, and Guangfeng=48) genotyped with Illumina Goat 50K BeadChip. The goat chip only contained a SNP from LGal-4 (rs268252010) which was also found at variable MAF level across the said populations. These results have implications for animal health and production and warrant further investigation using targeted sequencing of galectin genes across different local and international sheep and goat breeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mechanical properties of jute fabrics-reinforced polypropylene composites were measured with reference to fiber loading and found highest at 45% by the weight of jute fabrics. Jute fabrics were treated with potassium permanganate in acid (oxalic acid and sulphuric acid) and alkaline (KOH) media in order to investigate the oxidizing effect on the properties of the composites. Solutions of oxalic acid, sulphuric acid, and KOH were prepared in water as 1.0-10.0% w/v, 0.1-2.0% v/v, and 1.0-10.0% w/v, respectively, where percentage of KMnO4 was maintained at 0.01% w/v. Among the treatments, 5.0% oxalic acid treated jute composite showed better mechanical performance. Thermogravimetric (TG/DTG) data of PP, jute fabrics and composites showed that thermal degradation temperatures of composites shifted to higher temperature regions compared to PP or jute fabrics. The treatment of jute fabrics improves thermal stability of the composites. Treated jute composites were found less degradable in soil, water and simulated weathering conditions and also found less water sensible compared to control composite (45% w/w jute fabrics). POLYM. COMPOS., 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polypropylene composites reinforced with jute fabrics (Hessian cloth) were fabricated by heat-press molding technique. Mechanical properties of the composites such as tensile strength, tensile modulus, bending strength, bending modulus and impact strength were measured with reference to fiber loading in polypropylene matrix. Jute fabrics were treated with potassium permanganate in oxalic acid media in order to investigate the oxidizing effect on the properties of the composites. Solutions of oxalic acid were prepared in water as 1.0–10.0% w/v, where percentage of potassium permanganate was maintained at 0.01% w/v. Among the treatments, potassium permanganate in 5.0% oxalic acid treated jute composite showed better mechanical performance. Thermogravimetric data of polypropylene, jute fabrics and composites showed that thermal degradation temperatures of composites shifted to higher temperature regions compared to polypropylene or jute fabrics. Treatment of jute fabrics improved the thermal stability of the composite. Degradation characteristics of the composites were studied in soil, water and simulated weathering conditions. Water uptake of the composites was also studied. Treated jute composites were found less degradable as well as less water sensible compared to control composite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, the determination of dopamine (DA) is enormously necessary for the human body. Since then, it has played a crucial role in the brain that affects mood, sleep, memory, learning, and concentration. Dopamine insufficiency is a threat to human health. Dopamine recognition is important to avoid this problem. Copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles are one of the potentials which can be used in the detection of dopamine level in the sample. In this work, CuO was synthesized by a simple chemical precipitation technique and modified by polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as a capping agent. The nanomaterials manufactured are used for the detection of dopamine in 0.1 M PBS medium at room temperature. The CuO/PVA-modified electrode shows better electrocatalytic activity than CuO/GCE (glassy carbon electrode). The constructed dopamine biosensor of copper oxide-PVA nanocomposites also has extraordinary selectivity, stability, sensitivity (183.12 μA mM-1 cm-2), and a minimum level detection limit of 0.017 μM, is inexpensive, and has minimal effort and rapid detection of dopamine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Abnormalities in hematology and comorbidities might have a role in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. However, the exact relationships between hematological parameters and the severity of CKD are not well understood. Also, the underlying mechanisms remain under investigation. The present study aimed to evaluate the association of different blood parameters and comorbidities among hospitalized CKD patients in Bangladesh. Meth ods: The present study enrolled admitted CKD patients at Evercare Hospital Ltd, Dhaka, Bangladesh, from January 1, 2021, to August 1, 2021. For this study, the demographic and clinical information of the patients were collected. Then some routine blood tests for the hematological profile of CKD patients were performed. Finally, several statistical methods were performed and data interpretations were done to evaluate the role of hematological changes on CKD patients. RESULTS: Among 300 patients, early-stage CKD patients (ESCKDP) and advanced-stage CKD patients (ASCKDP) were 153 and 147, respectively. The decreased levels of hemoglobin (Hb) and red blood cell (RBC) in ASCKDP were observed. However, the present study found increased levels of corpuscular Hb in ASCKDP than ESCKDP. Also, the present study noticed correlations between these changes and the severity of CKD. Also, we observed a significant difference in age and body mass index between ESCKDP and ASCKDP. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our results, lower Hb and RBC levels may use in assessing the severity and the treatment decisions of CKD patients in the hospital setting. Therefore, our findings may assist with developing a treatment protocol for hospitalized CKD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV). It was an epidemic infection among African countries over the last few decades. In 2022, MPXV has been broke through in Africa, America, Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, South-East Asia, and Western Pacific region. This widespread infection of MPXV has created panic across the nations, and the WHO has declared a global public health emergency due to the multi-country MPX outbreak. We prepared this brief report on the MPX outbreak 2022 by extracting data from Scopus, PubMed, and website databases. We manually read all the relevant articles from our target databases. The rapid spread of MPX infection in around a 100 countries has threatened the global healthcare systems. The available epidemiological data revealed that sexual orientations and encounters are potential contributing factors for monkeypox infections. However, it has not been categorized as a sexually transmitted infection. Also, MPXV can transfer from 1 individual to others in many ways. The empowerment of this old foe has created additional pressure and threat on the healthcare authorities during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Effective preventive measures, social awareness, and therapeutic approaches can reduce this extra burden on the healthcare system across the countries. Focusing only on sexual orientations and encounters as risk factors for MPX infection might increase stigma that will be another barrier to controlling and preventing MPXV spread. Therefore, we should be careful in delivering messages about MPX infection to the general population. Also, we recommend repositioning the existing smallpox vaccines and antivirals in MPX infection until the development of specific antiviral agents against this infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introuduction: Tobacco smoking is considered to be the key preventable risk factor for morbidity and mortality at the global level. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of tobacco smoking and factors associated with the initiation of smoking among university students in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Methods: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted with 264 students of Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2015. A standard, self-administered questionnaire consisting of questions on socio-demographic variables, tobacco smoking status, family and peer tobacco smoking history, attitudes and beliefs about tobacco smoking, as well as knowledge about the negative health consequences of tobacco smoking was administered to participants. Data were analyzed using logistic regression models, chi square, and Fisher exact tests. Results: The overall prevalence of tobacco smoking was 60.2%, where males smoked at higher rates than females (68.81% and 19.56%, respectively). The influence of friends was the most significant reason for initiating tobacco smoking (OR: 0.862; CI: 0.810-0.917). Perception regarding tobacco smoking was significantly related to continuing tobacco use. Logistic regression models identified that smoking-related attitudes, potential health problems, and family members dying from cardiovascular disease and cancer were significantly associated with tobacco smoking. Conclusion: The current tobacco smoking prevalence among university students in Bangladesh is over 60%. We suggest adopting WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) policies, especially for university students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the study which explores the prognostic value of baseline circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in patients with newly diagnosed metastatic breast cancer (MBC). It confirms that CTCs are strong independent predictor of survival in women with newly recurrent MBC. It presents evidence which reaffirms the prognostic power of CTCs and provides evidence of the applicability of the new prognostic marker in the clinical setting.

The article focuses on a study that compared the prognostic features of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) and non-IBC locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) to gain insight into the biology of the disease. The authors of the study conducted a retrospective analysis that included a large population of patients with LABC who were treated at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. It concludes that IBC was associated with a distinctive pattern of early recurrence compared with LABC.

This article discusses findings of a study, which evaluated the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant trastuzumab combined with paclitaxel and epirubicin. One side effect of trastuzumab is cardiac toxicity. Several advantages of administering primary systemic chemotherapy include downstaging the primary tumor, allowing higher rates of breast-conserving surgeries, and providing an in vivo assessment of tumor chemosensitivity. The variables needed to calculate RCB include primary tumor bed area, overall cancer cellularity and percentage of in situ disease.

Homozygosity of long sequence genotypes are a result of parents transmitting identical haplotypes, which can be used to estimate their auto-zygosity. Therefore, we used high-density SNP Chip data to characterize the auto-zygosity of each breed according to the occurrence and distribution of runs of homozygosity (ROH). Subsequently, we identified the genomic regions with high runs of homozygosity frequencies within individuals of each breed. We selected 96 sheep samples from five local Chinese sheep breeds belonging to different geographical locations. We identified 3046 ROHs within the study breed individuals, among which the longer segments (>1–5 Mb) were dominant. On average, ROH segments covered about 12% of the genomes; the coverage rate of OAR20 was the lowest and that of OAR2 was the highest. The distribution analysis of runs of homozygosity showed that the detected ROH mainly distributed between >26 and 28 Mb. The Hetian and Hu sheep showed the lowest ROH distribution. The estimation of homozygosity level reflects the history of modern and ancient inbreeding, which may affect the genomes of Chinese indigenous sheep breeds and indicate that some animals have experienced recent self-pollination events (Yabuyi, Karakul and Wadi). In these sheep breeds, the genomic regions were assumed to be under selection signatures frequently in line with long ROH. These regions included candidate genes associated with disease resistance traits (5S_rRNA), the innate and adaptive immune response (HERC2 and CYFIP1), digestion and metabolism (CENPJ), growth (SPP1), body size and developments (GJB2 and GJA3). This study highlighted new insights into the ROH patterns and provides a basis for future breeding and conservation strategies of Chinese sheep breeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]