CNV-based genome-wide association studies with performance traits in broilers

Abstract

First and foremost, thank you, God, for always being there for me. To my parents, Anna and Douglas, for your truly selfless and unconditional love. Thank you both for always giving me strength, for reminding me every day that I can do this and for being a constant source of support in my many many moments of crisis, during the challenges of graduate school and life. You are my world and my everything this life can bring. I could not have done it without you. My little brother André, aunt Kátia and uncle Luciano deserve my wholehearted thanks and appreciation as well. To my beloved grandpa Pasquale and great-aunts Lola and Beta. You are loved beyond words and missed beyond measures. I will always have this piece of my heart that smiles whenever I think about you. You were a priceless gift in my life and I will be forever grateful for the love, knowledge and values you instilled in me. I would like to sincerely express my gratitude and appreciation to my academic advisor, Dr. Luiz Coutinho, for his guidance, help and support, and especially for his confidence in me. You have set an example of excellence as a researcher and mentor. I would also like to thank my LBA team, in particular Dr. Gabriel and Dr. Vinicius, for guiding me throughout this study; your discussion, ideas, and feedback have been absolutely invaluable. To all my friends, in particular Pedro and Thais. You are the people who make me smile brighter, laugh louder and live better. True friendship isn't about being inseparable. It's being separated and nothing changes. Your friendship makes my life a better experience! Finally, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to University of São Paulo-"Luiz de Queiroz" College of Agriculture (USP/ESALQ) for the privilege granted and for aggregating so much knowledge in my academic history. You challenged me to be fearless in the pursuit of all opportunities and taught me that learning knows no boundaries. A special acknowledgment to CNPq for supporting me with a scholarship (process 134211/2019-7).