1,262 research outputs found
Expression profiles of genes regulating dairy cow fertility: recent findings, ongoing activities and future possibilities
Subfertility has negative effects for dairy farm profitability, animal welfare and sustainability of animal production. Increasing herd sizes and economic pressures restrict the amount of time that farmers can spend on counteractive management Genetic improvement will become increasingly important to restore reproductive performance. Complementary to traditional breeding value estimation procedures, genomic selection based on genome-wide information will become more widely applied. Functional genomics, including transcriptomics (gene expression profiling), produces the information to understand the consequences of selection as it helps to unravel physiological mechanisms underlying female fertility traits. Insight into the latter is needed to develop new effective management strategies to combat subfertility. Here, the importance of functional genomics for dairy cow reproduction so far and in the near future is evaluated. Recent gene profiling studies in the field of dairy cow fertility are reviewed and new data are presented on genes that are expressed in the brains of dairy cows and that are involved in dairy cow oestrus (behaviour). Fast-developing new research areas in the field of functional genomics, such as epigenetics, RNA interference, variable copy numbers and nutrigenomics are discussed including their promising future value for dairy cow fertility
The Horseshoe Estimator: Posterior Concentration around Nearly Black Vectors
We consider the horseshoe estimator due to Carvalho, Polson and Scott (2010)
for the multivariate normal mean model in the situation that the mean vector is
sparse in the nearly black sense. We assume the frequentist framework where the
data is generated according to a fixed mean vector. We show that if the number
of nonzero parameters of the mean vector is known, the horseshoe estimator
attains the minimax risk, possibly up to a multiplicative constant. We
provide conditions under which the horseshoe estimator combined with an
empirical Bayes estimate of the number of nonzero means still yields the
minimax risk. We furthermore prove an upper bound on the rate of contraction of
the posterior distribution around the horseshoe estimator, and a lower bound on
the posterior variance. These bounds indicate that the posterior distribution
of the horseshoe prior may be more informative than that of other one-component
priors, including the Lasso.Comment: This version differs from the final published version in pagination
and typographical detail; Available at
http://projecteuclid.org/euclid.ejs/141813426
Gene expression patterns in anterior pituitary associated with quantitative measure of oestrous behaviour in dairy cows
Intensive selection for high milk yield in dairy cows has raised production levels substantially but at the cost of reduced fertility, which manifests in different ways including reduced expression of oestrous behaviour. The genomic regulation of oestrous behaviour in bovines remains largely unknown. Here, we aimed to identify and study those genes that were associated with oestrous behaviour among genes expressed in the bovine anterior pituitary either at the start of oestrous cycle or at the mid-cycle (around day 12 of cycle), or regardless of the phase of cycle. Oestrous behaviour was recorded in each of 28 primiparous cows from 30 days in milk onwards till the day of their sacrifice (between 77 and 139 days in milk) and quantified as heat scores. An average heat score value was calculated for each cow from heat scores observed during consecutive oestrous cycles excluding the cycle on the day of sacrifice. A microarray experiment was designed to measure gene expression in the anterior pituitary of these cows, 14 of which were sacrificed at the start of oestrous cycle (day 0) and 14 around day 12 of cycle (day 12). Gene expression was modelled as a function of the orthogonally transformed average heat score values using a Bayesian hierarchical mixed model on data from day 0 cows alone (analysis 1), day 12 cows alone (analysis 2) and the combined data from day 0 and day 12 cows (analysis 3). Genes whose expression patterns showed significant linear or non-linear relationships with average heat scores were identified in all three analyses (177, 142 and 118 genes, respectively). Gene ontology terms enriched among genes identified in analysis 1 revealed processes associated with expression of oestrous behaviour whereas the terms enriched among genes identified in analysis 2 and 3 were general processes which may facilitate proper expression of oestrous behaviour at the subsequent oestrus. Studying these genes will help to improve our understanding of the genomic regulation of oestrous behaviour, ultimately leading to better management strategies and tools to improve or monitor reproductive performance in bovines
Perancangan Aplikasi Enkripsi dan Dekripsi File Berbasis Web
In the development of technology that is so advanced today, especially in the field of communication and information, maintaining privacy is something that absolutely must be done for each individual. Rapoport (in Soesilo, 1998) defines privacy as an ability to control the interaction, the ability to acquire options and the ability to achieve the desired interaction. Nowadays, a lot of things that can be done by using the internet, such as selling, social interacting through social media (Social Media) such as Facebook, learn, or just read the news through the portal of electronic media, and so forth. Most of the activities that can be done on the internet, requires personal data of its users, where the issue of privacy is of onsiderableconcern. As the development of information and communication technology in this case the Internet, the technology used to protect all personal data users also grown and will continue to evolve into more sophisticated. For this reason the author took the initiative to create a Endesapp application program, which aims to facilitate a person or agency who frequently exchange data in the form of files through the Internet. With so security in maintaining personal data even be increased as well as the possibility of the spread of sensitive data has been poor. In this study, the method used is to design programs shaped application file encryption and decryption web-based cryptographic techniques to the type of algorithm that is supported is 3DES ( Triple DES ) , AES - 128 ( Advanced encyption Standard) , AES - 192 and AES - 256
What Brown saw and you can too
A discussion is given of Robert Brown's original observations of particles
ejected by pollen of the plant \textit{Clarkia pulchella} undergoing what is
now called Brownian motion. We consider the nature of those particles, and how
he misinterpreted the Airy disc of the smallest particles to be universal
organic building blocks. Relevant qualitative and quantitative investigations
with a modern microscope and with a "homemade" single lens microscope similar
to Brown's, are presented.Comment: 14.1 pages, 11 figures, to be published in the American Journal of
Physics. This differs from the previous version only in the web site referred
to in reference 3. Today, this Brownian motion web site was launched, and
http://physerver.hamilton.edu/Research/Brownian/index.html, is now correc
Does tumescent liposuction damage the lymph vessels in lipoedema patients?
Background: Lymphatic insufficiency might play a significant role in the pathophysiology of lipoedema. Liposuction is up to now the best treatment. As liposuction is invasive, the technique could destruct parts of the lymphatic system and by this aggravate the lymphatic component and/or induce lymphoedema. We investigated the function of the lymphatic system in lipoedema patients before and after tumescent liposuction and thus whether tumescent liposuction can be regarded as a safe treatment. Methods: Lymphoscintigraphy was performed to quantify the lymph outflow of 117 lipoedema patients. Mean clearance percentages of radioactive protein loaded after 1Â min with respect to the total injected dose and corrected for decay of the radiopharmaceutical in the subcutaneous lymphatics were used as functional quantitative parameters as well as the clearance percentages and inguinal uptake 2Â h post injection. The results of lymphatic function in lipoedema patients were compared with values obtained from normal healthy volunteers. We also compared 50 lymphoscintigraphies out of the previous 117 lipoedema patients before and six months after tumescent liposuction. Results: In 117 lipoedema patients clearance 2 h post injection in the right and left foot was disturbed in 79.5 and 87.2% respectively. The inguinal uptake 2 h post injection in the right and left groin was disturbed in 60.3 and 64.7% respectively. In 50 lipoedema patients mean clearance and inguinal uptake after tumescent liposuction were slightly improved, 0.01 (p = 0.37) versus 0.02 (p = 0.02), respectively. This is statistically not relevant in clearance. Conclusion: Lipoedema legs have a delayed lymph transport. Tumescent liposuction does not diminish the lymphatic function in lipoedema patients, thus tumescent liposuction can be regarded as a safe treatment.</p
Reliability of Single-Use PEEP-Valves Attached to Self-Inflating Bags during Manual Ventilation of Neonates – An In Vitro Study
Introduction International resuscitation guidelines suggest to use positive
end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) during manual ventilation of neonates. Aim of
our study was to test the reliability of self-inflating bags (SIB) with
single-use PEEP valves regarding PEEP delivery and the effect of different
peak inflation pressures (PIP) and ventilation rates (VR) on the delivered
PEEP. Methods Ten new single-use PEEP valves from 5 manufacturers were tested
by ventilating an intubated 1kg neonatal manikin containing a lung model with
a SIB that was actuated by an electromechanical plunger device. Standard
settings: PIP 20cmH2O, VR 60/min, flow 8L/min. PEEP settings of 5 and 10cmH2O
were studied. A second test was conducted with settings of PIP 40cmH2O and VR
40/min. The delivered PEEP was measured by a respiratory function monitor
(CO2SMO+). Results Valves from one manufacturer delivered no relevant PEEP and
were excluded. The remaining valves showed a continuous decay of the delivered
pressure during expiration. The median (25th and 75th percentile) delivered
PEEP with standard settings was 3.4(2.7–3.8)cmH2O when set to 5cmH2O and
6.1(4.9–7.1)cmH2O when set to 10cmH2O. Increasing the PIP from 20 to 40 cmH2O
led to a median (25th and 75th percentile) decrease in PEEP to
2.3(1.8–2.7)cmH2O and 4.3(3.2–4.8)cmH2O; changing VR from 60 to 40/min led to
a PEEP decrease to 2.8(2.1–3.3)cmH2O and 5.0(3.5–6.2)cmH2O for both PEEP
settings. Conclusion Single-use PEEP valves do not reliably deliver the set
PEEP. PIP and VR have an effect on the delivered PEEP. Operators should be
aware of these limitations when manually ventilating neonates
Does Parenteral Nutrition Influence Electrolyte and Fluid Balance in Preterm Infants in the First Days after Birth?
New national guidelines recommend more restricted fluid intake and early initiation of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) in very preterm infants. The aim was study the effect of these guidelines on serum sodium and potassium levels and fluid balance in the first three days after birth.Two cohorts of infants <28 weeks gestational age, born at the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands, were compared retrospectively before (2002–2004, late-TPN) and after (2006–2007, early-TPN) introduction of the new Dutch guideline. Outcome measures were serum sodium and potassium levels, diuresis, and changes in body weight in the first three postnatal days.In the first three postnatal days no differences between late-TPN (N = 70) and early-TPN cohort (N = 73) in mean (SD) serum sodium (141.1 (3.8) vs 141.0 (3.7) mmol/l) or potassium (4.3 (0.5) vs 4.3 (0.5) mmol/l) were found, but in the early-TPN cohort diuresis (4.5 (1.6) vs 3.2 (1.4) ml/kg/h) and loss of body weight were decreased (−6.0% (7.7) vs −0.8% (8.0)).Initiation of TPN immediately after birth and restricted fluid intake in very preterm infants do not seem to influence serum sodium and potassium levels in first three postnatal days. Further research is needed to see if a decreased diuresis and loss of body weight in the first days is the result of a delayed postnatal adaptation or better energy balance
Leren van de crisis: adaptief bestuur geeft sociaal domein meer ruimte
The politics and administration of institutional chang
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