Although 3-NOP has been proven to reduce enteric methane (CH4) by ∼30% in indoor systems of dairying when the additive is mixed throughout a total mixed ration (TMR), there has been very limited ...research to date in grazing systems in which the most convenient method of additive supplementation is at milking twice daily. To investigate the effect of twice daily 3-NOP supplementation on enteric CH4 emissions, a 12-week study was undertaken in which treatment cows (n = 26) were supplemented with 3-NOP (80 mg per kg dry matter intake; DMI) twice daily at morning and evening milking, while control cows (n = 26) received no additive supplementation. Enteric CH4, hydrogen (H2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) were measured using GreenFeed units, while milk production, body weight (BW), body condition score (BCS) and DMI were monitored to determine the effect of 3-NOP supplementation on productivity. There was no significant effect of 3-NOP supplementation on any of the aforementioned parameters with the exception of CH4 and H2 production, respectively. Cows supplemented with 3-NOP produced ∼36% more H2 (P < 0.001) across a 24-h period, with reductions in CH4 production of 28.5% recorded in the 3 h after additive consumption (P < 0.001), however, levels of CH4 production returned to that of the control group thereafter. When CH4 production was considered across the entire 24-h period, the cows offered 3-NOP produced ∼5% less CH4 than the control (P < 0.050). Future research should focus on methods to increase the efficacy of the additive throughout the day which would include the deployment of a slow-release form or an out of parlor feeding system that allows animals consume the product at additional time points.
We hypothesized that the use of an Action Plan might assist self-management for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A pilot process and randomized, controlled study were ...undertaken to evaluate an Action Plan that provided advice on management of usual care and exacerbations, together with a booklet on self-management. Fifty six subjects with COPD recruited through general practitioners (GPs) completed the 6 month study, 27 in the control group and 29 in the intervention group. The control group received usual care from their GP, and the intervention group received a booklet and Action Plan from their practice nurse plus a supply of prednisone and antibiotic from their GP. The two groups were demographically similar with a mean age of 68 yrs. The resources were well received by GPs, practice nurses and intervention group subjects. After 6 months, there were no differences in quality of life scores or pulmonary function. There were significant changes in self-management behaviour in the intervention group compared to controls. In response to deteriorating symptoms, 34 versus 7% (p=0.014) initiated prednisone treatment and 44 versus 7% (p=0.002) initiated antibiotics. Subjects in the intervention group readily adopted self-management skills but did not show any difference in quality of life or lung function parameters. A larger, prospective, controlled, clinical trial of this approach is warranted.
An international consortium is sequencing the euchromatic genespace of Medicago truncatula. Extensive bioinformatic and database resources support the marker-anchored bacterial artificial chromosome ...(BAC) sequencing strategy. Existing physical and genetic maps and deep BAC-end sequencing help to guide the sequencing effort, while EST databases provide essential resources for genome annotation as well as transcriptome characterization and microarray design. Finished BAC sequences are joined into overlapping sequence assemblies and undergo an automated annotation process that integrates ab initio predictions with EST, protein, and other recognizable features. Because of the sequencing project's international and collaborative nature, data production, storage, and visualization tools are broadly distributed. This paper describes databases and Web resources for the project, which provide support for physical and genetic maps, genome sequence assembly, gene prediction, and integration of EST data. A central project Web site at medicago.org/genome provides access to genome viewers and other resources project-wide, including an Ensembl implementation at medicago.org, physical map and marker resources at mtgenome.ucdavis.edu, and genome viewers at the University of Oklahoma (www.genome.ou.edu), the Institute for Genomic Research (www.tigr.org), and Munich Information for Protein Sequences Center (mips.gsf.de).
Applying Grid technologies to bioinformatics Karo, M.; Dwan, C.; Freeman, J. ...
High Performance Distributed Computing: Proceedings of the 10th IEEE International Symposium on High Performance Distributed Computing; 07-09 Aug. 2001,
01/2001
Conference Proceeding, Journal Article
The science of bioinformatics provides researchers with the tools necessary to unravel the mysteries of life and evolution, discover cures for disease, and control the evolution of living organisms. ...To assist researchers in managing the growing data processing and management demands associated with bioinformatics, we have created a production system that draws upon Grid based technologies to control several aspects of the process. We briefly discuss system architecture, results, and future directions of the project.
Thesis (M.S.)--University of Cincinnati 2004.
Title from electronic thesis title page (viewed Aug. 26, 2005). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.
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