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This article analyzes the genetic variants in protein-coding genes of the Aoluguya reindeer, a subspecies of reindeer facing the threat of extinction. The study collected blood samples from healthy and unrelated male adult individuals and sequenced their DNA. The analysis revealed a significant number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and indels in the reindeer population. The findings provide valuable insights into the genetic variation and adaptation of the Aoluguya reindeer and the entire reindeer species. [Extracted from the article]

Human crowds often exhibit collective behaviors through self-organization, such as orderly queueing and disordered congestion at exits. Understanding the dynamic mechanisms behind these behaviors is crucial for pedestrian traffic management and the handling of mass crowds. Although current models and experiments have provided profound insights into ordered and disordered pedestrian groups separately, the transition mechanism from order to disorder within pedestrian crowds in front of exits remains unclear. In this study, a pedestrian queueing evacuation experiment was presented to demonstrate the phase transition process of pedestrian movement states as urgency levels in the environment change. We discovered the migration pattern of the phase transition point under evacuation control and identified different propagation modes of pedestrian velocity waves. Furthermore, a pedestrian motion model based on experimental data and observed phenomena was established. This model not only replicates the observed phenomena and regularities from the experiments but also reveals the quantitative phase transition mechanism of pedestrian movement under the influence of a single factor (i.e., urgency level or queueing ratio). Our findings hold significant implications for various domains, including pedestrian management, traffic control, and pedestrian dynamics. • Found pedestrian order–urgency correlation and critical point migration. • Identified speed wave patterns in varying pedestrian motion states. • Developed vision-driven pedestrian queue model from experimental data. • Elucidated pedestrian order phase transitions in specific scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction between pedestrians and obstacles is an interesting research topic in pedestrian and evacuation dynamics. Many studies on this topic have treated single individuals or human crowds as objects and have drawn a lot of research findings. However, as an intermediate layer linking the individual and group levels, subgroups have rarely been considered in such studies, and little is known about their behavioral mechanisms when interacting with obstacles. From this, we want to understand how certain key factors affect the decision-making and motion behavior of subgroups when facing a static obstacle during movement. Here, we organize a series of controlled experiments, in which the obstacle width, time pressure, and subgroup size serve as three control variables to create various experimental conditions. The analysis of the experimental data shows that a wider obstacle width, a more urgent time pressure, and a larger subgroup size correspond to a higher proportion of the splitting–merging state. The strong right-side preference emerges in the maintaining state, but the movement preference in the splitting–merging state largely depends on the difference in subgroup sizes. The path lengths in the splitting–merging state are longer than those in the maintaining state, but no significant difference exists in movement times between the two movement states. The conclusion that the average speeds decrease with increasing subgroup size at normal densities can be extended to most conditions of different obstacle widths, time pressures, and movement states. Besides, the three control variables have various influence degrees on centroid positions, movement times, and average speeds in the splitting and merging processes, and the herding effect of subgroup members can be observed in the merging process. Overall, these findings may advance the understanding of subgroup behaviors and support the development of subgroup models. • Interactions between subgroups and a static obstacle are experimentally explored. • Obstacle width, time pressure, and subgroup size serve as three control variables. • Movement states and preferences differ from various experimental conditions. • Movement states have different effects on physical quantities of subgroup motion. • Herding effect of subgroup members can be observed in the merging process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the introduction of specialized commercial breeds such as Boer and Saanen goats has sharply decreased the population size of purebred LUB, so there is an urgent need to assess the present population structure and genetic diversity. The Lubei White (LUB) goat is an indigenous dual-purpose meat and skin breed kept mainly in the Shandong province of China. Assessing the current genetic status of Lubei white goat based on the whole-genome data. [Extracted from the article]

The study of crowd dynamics has provided new insights into the understanding of human collective motion. However, most previous studies treated large-scale crowds as consisting of isolated individuals, but ignored the fact that pedestrian subgroups are prevalent in reality. With the increasing advancement of computer simulations, the critical role of subgroups in crowd modeling has been gradually recognized. Here, we develop a force-based model to reproduce the walking behaviors of pedestrian subgroups, in which the quantitative laws extracted from public datasets are incorporated for controlling their spatial configurations at different non-extreme densities. Numerical simulations indicate that our model achieves the simulation of pedestrian subgroups that coincides with empirical observations, and presents better simulation performance than existing subgroup models. The presence of pedestrian subgroups has also been confirmed to have certain effects on both fundamental diagrams and lane formation. Overall, this paper contributes a valuable framework to the modeling of pedestrian subgroups for guiding relevant implementations in potential application areas. • Extract the quantitative laws of subgroup configurations from six public datasets. • Develop a model for simulating pedestrian subgroups at non-extreme densities. • Realize better simulation performance than existing subgroup models. • The effect of subgroups on fundamental diagrams is significant as density raises. • A high proportion of subgroups increases disorder and congestion in lane formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the most common self-organizing phenomena in social systems, queueing has been attracting a lot of interest. Understanding the local interaction mechanism in queueing behaviors is a critical issue in the field of crowd dynamics. However, most studies ignore the heuristic decision during queueing processes. Even less is known about the effect of queueing behaviors on the collective movement. Therefore, an extended social force queueing model is proposed, which is based on vision and morality. Guided by visual and moral information, the desired speed and direction are heuristically adjusted in the self-driven force. Numerical simulations indicate that our model constructs a more realistic and detailed framework for the interpretation of pedestrian queueing. This model successfully predicts the emergence of the "detours" phenomenon, which is beneficial for reducing crowd pressure. Furthermore, our model may provide guidance for crowd management in safety science and navigation in autonomous robots. • A queueing behavior-based social force model for crowd evacuation is proposed. • Vision and morality information are incorporated to achieve a queueing motion. • Self-organized phenomenon appeared is in agreement with empirical observations. • The queuing behavior apparently reduces the local pressure that indicates risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wagyu is recognized for producing marbled beef with high nutritional value and flavor. Reportedly, Wagyu has been widely used to improve the meat quality of local breeds around the world. However, studies on the genetic mechanism of meat quality in Wagyu at the whole‐genome level are rarely reported. Here, whole‐genome sequencing data of 11 Wagyu and 115 other individuals were used to explore the genomic variations and genes under selection pressure in Wagyu. A total of 31 349 non‐synonymous variants and 53 102 synonymous variants were identified in Wagyu. The population structure analysis showed that Wagyu had the closest genetic relationship with Mishima–Ushi cattle and was apparently separated from other cattle breeds. Then, composite likelihood ratio (CLR), integrated haplotype score, fixation index and cross‐population composite likelihood ratio (XP‐CLR) tests were performed to identify the candidate genes under positive selection in Wagyu. In total, 770 regions containing 312 genes were identified by at least three methods. Among them, 97 regions containing 27 genes were detected by all four methods. We specifically illustrate a list of interesting genes, including LRP2BP, GAA, CACNG6, CXADR, GPCPD1, KLF2, KLF13, SOX5, MYBPC1, SLC25A10, ATP8A1 and MYH15, which are associated with lipid metabolism, fat deposition, muscle development, bone development, feed intake and growth traits in Wagyu. This is the first study to explore the genomic variations and selection signatures of Wagyu at the whole‐genome level. These results will provide significant help to beef cattle improvement and breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The Chinese Red Steppe Cattle (CRS) is a well-known dual-purpose (meat and milk) cattle breed. Here, the genetic variation and population structure of CRS were studied using 100 K SNP genotyping data. The results show that the genetic structure of CRS is different from other populations, the level of genetic diversity is high, and the level of inbreeding is low. In conclusion, our research provides the genetic basis for the prominent characteristics of CRS, which can be used to improve the breeding program of CRS in the future. Chinese Red Steppe Cattle (CRS), a composite cattle breed, is well known for its milk production, high slaughter rate, carcass traits, and meat quality. Nowadays, it is widely bred in Jilin and Hebei Province and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous region. However, the population structure and the genetic basis of prominent characteristics of CRS are still unknown. In this study, we systematically describe their population structure, genetic diversity, and selection signature based on genotyping data from 61 CRS individuals with GGP Bovine 100 K chip. The results showed that CRS cattle had low inbreeding levels and had formed a unique genetic structure feature. Using two complementary methods (including comprehensive haplotype score and complex likelihood ratio), we identified 1291 and 1285 potentially selected genes, respectively. There were 141 genes annotated in common 106 overlapping genomic regions covered 5.62 Mb, including PLAG1, PRKG2, DGAT1, PARP10, TONSL, ADCK5, and BMP3, most of which were enriched in pathways related to muscle growth and differentiation, milk production, and lipid metabolism. This study will contribute to understanding the genetic mechanism behind artificial selection and give an extensive reference for subsequent breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]