99 research outputs found
Testing Data Acquisition Systems for Use in Monitoring Building Energy Conservation Systems
Dedicated microprocessor-based data acquisition systems
are beginning to be used to monitor the energy savings from
building energy conservation retrofits. These systems capture
data from important monitoring points and store the values for
periodic transfer to a central location. While there are many
data loggers available that appear suited to this task, choosing
between them is complicated by a large number of manufacturers,
a lack of standard communications protocols, and most
significantly, no standardized tests for reporting their
capabilities. This paper addresses the last point with a battery of
tests that were developed and applied to data loggers from nine
manufacturers
Genetic Variability for Agronomic Traits in Sorghum Minicore Collection
Sorghum is a major cereal crop globally with
economically important uses such as food, feed, fodder, fuel,
and fiber. Crop improvement and precision breeding can be
achieved by understanding and utilizing the variability in
sorghum germplasm collection. A total of 242 germplasm
accessions of sorghum minicore were assessed for the extent
of variability, trait associations and genetic diversity.
Sorghum minicore collection was evaluated for agronomic
traits in two post-rainy seasons at ICRISAT- Patancheru,
India. Large variability was observed for agronomic traits
and strong associations between the traits studied. The 242
minicore accessions were grouped into six clusters under a
hierarchical dendrogram. Genotypes from diverse clusters
can be used in crossing programs to combine desirable traits
and can be used as donors in breeding programs
The Texas LoanSTAR Program: Acquiring and Archiving LoanSTAR Data
This paper discusses the acquisition and archiving of data for the
Texas LoanSTAR monitoring program, an eight year, $98
million revolving loan program for energy conservation retrofits
in Texas state, local government and school buildings funded by
oil overcharge dollars.
In particular we focus on the design, development and
implementation of a state-wide computer network that
communicates with field recorders installed in participating
agencies, the development of public domain software for
electronically polling the data acquisition systems (DASs), and
the development of procedures to assess the accuracy of the data
being collected. The development of a field data recorder
testbench facility is also discussed. Such a facility is being used
to develop and test software for polling DASs to be used in the
program.
In this report we also discuss data management and the process
of acquiring data from a site, translating these data to a common
format and preparing the data for graphic presentation or
analysis. In the final section we discuss the lessons we have
learned and our future work
Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Sorghum: Exploring Native Variability for Traits Under Variable N-Regimes
Exploring the natural genetic variability and its exploitation for improved Nitrogen
Use Efficiency (NUE) in sorghum is one of the primary goals in the modern crop
improvement programs. The integrated strategies include high-throughput phenotyping,
next generation sequencing (NGS)-based genotyping technologies, and a priori selected
candidate gene studies that help understand the detailed physiological and molecular
mechanisms underpinning this complex trait. A set of sixty diverse sorghum genotypes
was evaluated for different vegetative, reproductive, and yield traits related to NUE in
the field (under three N regimes) for two seasons. Significant variations for different
yield and related traits under 0 and 50% N confirmed the availability of native
genetic variability in sorghum under low N regimes. Sorghum genotypes with distinct
genetic background had interestingly similar NUE associated traits. The Genotyping-
By-Sequencing based SNPs (>89 K) were used to study the population structure,
and phylogenetic groupings identified three distinct groups. The information of grain N
and stalk N content of the individuals covered on the phylogenetic groups indicated
randomness in the distribution for adaptation under variable N regimes. This study
identified promising sorghum genotypes with consistent performance under varying
environments, with buffer capacity for yield under low N conditions. We also report
better performing genotypes for varied production use—grain, stover, and dual-purpose
sorghum having differential adaptation response to NUE traits. Expression profiling
of NUE associated genes in shoot and root tissues of contrasting lines (PVK801
and HDW703) grown in varying N conditions revealed interesting outcomes. Root
tissues of contrasting lines exhibited differential expression profiles for transporter genes
[ammonium transporter (SbAMT), nitrate transporters (SbNRT)]; primary assimilatory
(glutamine synthetase (SbGS), glutamate synthase (SbGOGAT[NADH], SbGOGAT[Fd]),
assimilatory genes [nitrite reductase (SbNiR[NADH]3)]; and amino acid biosynthesis
associated gene [glutamate dehydrogenase (SbGDH)]. Identification and expression profiling of contrasting sorghum genotypes in varying N dosages will provide new
information to understand the response of NUE genes toward adaptation to the
differential N regimes in sorghum. High NUE genotypes identified from this study could
be potential candidates for in-depth molecular analysis and contribute toward the
development of N efficient sorghum cultivars
Association between alcohol and cardiovascular disease: Mendelian randomisation analysis based on individual participant data.
OBJECTIVE: To use the rs1229984 variant in the alcohol dehydrogenase 1B gene (ADH1B) as an instrument to investigate the causal role of alcohol in cardiovascular disease. DESIGN: Mendelian randomisation meta-analysis of 56 epidemiological studies. PARTICIPANTS: 261 991 individuals of European descent, including 20 259 coronary heart disease cases and 10 164 stroke events. Data were available on ADH1B rs1229984 variant, alcohol phenotypes, and cardiovascular biomarkers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Odds ratio for coronary heart disease and stroke associated with the ADH1B variant in all individuals and by categories of alcohol consumption. RESULTS: Carriers of the A-allele of ADH1B rs1229984 consumed 17.2% fewer units of alcohol per week (95% confidence interval 15.6% to 18.9%), had a lower prevalence of binge drinking (odds ratio 0.78 (95% CI 0.73 to 0.84)), and had higher abstention (odds ratio 1.27 (1.21 to 1.34)) than non-carriers. Rs1229984 A-allele carriers had lower systolic blood pressure (-0.88 (-1.19 to -0.56) mm Hg), interleukin-6 levels (-5.2% (-7.8 to -2.4%)), waist circumference (-0.3 (-0.6 to -0.1) cm), and body mass index (-0.17 (-0.24 to -0.10) kg/m(2)). Rs1229984 A-allele carriers had lower odds of coronary heart disease (odds ratio 0.90 (0.84 to 0.96)). The protective association of the ADH1B rs1229984 A-allele variant remained the same across all categories of alcohol consumption (P=0.83 for heterogeneity). Although no association of rs1229984 was identified with the combined subtypes of stroke, carriers of the A-allele had lower odds of ischaemic stroke (odds ratio 0.83 (0.72 to 0.95)). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with a genetic variant associated with non-drinking and lower alcohol consumption had a more favourable cardiovascular profile and a reduced risk of coronary heart disease than those without the genetic variant. This suggests that reduction of alcohol consumption, even for light to moderate drinkers, is beneficial for cardiovascular health
AAV ancestral reconstruction library enables selection of broadly infectious viral variants
Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors have achieved clinical efficacy in treating several diseases. Enhanced vectors are required to extend these landmark successes to other indications, however, and protein engineering approaches may provide the necessary vector improvements to address such unmet medical needs. To generate new capsid variants with potentially enhanced infectious properties, and to gain insights into AAV’s evolutionary history, we computationally designed and experimentally constructed a putative ancestral AAV library. Combinatorial variations at 32 amino acid sites were introduced to account for uncertainty in their identities. We then analyzed the evolutionary flexibility of these residues, the majority of which have not been previously studied, by subjecting the library to iterative selection on a representative cell line panel. The resulting variants exhibited transduction efficiencies comparable to the most efficient extant serotypes, and in general ancestral libraries were broadly infectious across the cell line panel, indicating that they favored promiscuity over specificity. Interestingly, putative ancestral AAVs were more thermostable than modern serotypes and did not utilize sialic acids, galactose, or heparan sulfate proteoglycans for cellular entry. Finally, variants mediated 19–31 fold higher gene expression in muscle compared to AAV1, a clinically utilized serotype for muscle delivery, highlighting their promise for gene therapy
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