The Marine Microbial Eukaryote Transcriptome Sequencing Project (MMETSP): Illuminating the Functional Diversity of Eukaryotic Life in the Oceans through Transcriptome Sequencing

Microbial ecology is plagued by problems of an abstract nature. Cell sizes are so small and population sizes so large that both are virtually incomprehensible. Niches are so far from our everyday experience as to make their very definition elusive. Organisms that may be abundant and critical to our survival are little understood, seldom described and/or cultured, and sometimes yet to be even seen. One way to confront these problems is to use data of an even more abstract nature: molecular sequence data. Massive environmental nucleic acid sequencing, such as metagenomics or metatranscriptomics, promises functional analysis of microbial communities as a whole, without prior knowledge of which organisms are in the environment or exactly how they are interacting. But sequence-based ecological studies nearly always use a comparative approach, and that requires relevant reference sequences, which are an extremely limited resource when it comes to microbial eukaryotes

Comparação de diluentes, diluições e tempo de armazenamento do sêmen sobre fertilidade, eclodibilidade e nascimento de pintos em matrizes pesadas Comparation of diluents, dilutions and storage time of heavy broiler breeder semen on fertility, hatchability and chick production

O objetivo deste trabalho foi identificar o melhor diluente, a diluição e o tempo de armazenamento para sêmen de galo. Um total de 60 galos e 630 galinhas com 55 semanas de idade foi artificialmente inseminado, uma vez por semana, por seis semanas consecutivas, utilizando-se 0,05 mL de sêmen/galinha. Os tratamentos foram: T1 = sêmen diluído com diluente comercial-DC; T2 = sêmen diluído com diluente Beltsville Poultry Sêmen Extender-BPSE; T3 = sêmen diluído com solução de Lake-LAKE; e T4 = sêmen fresco puro (Testemunha). Os níveis de diluição (D) foram D=0 (não-diluído), D=2 (1 parte de sêmen: 2 partes de diluente) e D = 4 (1 parte de sêmen: 4 partes de diluente). O tempo de repouso (H) do sêmen foi H = 0, sem repouso, H = 1, IA 1 hora após a coleta e H=24, IA 24 horas após a coleta (conservado em refrigerador entre 2 e 5°C). Os ovos foram avaliados por ovoscopia e ao nascer com quebra de ovos não-eclodidos. O sêmen puro, não-diluído e sem repouso, produziu os melhores resultados para fertilidade e nascimento, 87,2 e 79,5%, respectivamente. As médias de fertilidade e nascimento de pintos para sêmen diluído na proporção 1:2, com 2 horas de repouso, foram 84,8 e 76,3; 81,7 e 73,6; e 76,0 e 65,9%, respectivamente, para os diluentes LAKE, DC e BPSE. Quando se usou sêmen diluído, a diluição 1:2 produziu melhor resultado que 1:4. O período de repouso do sêmen, após a diluição, deve ser o menor possível. O diluente de Lake apresentou os melhores resultados entre os diluientes, equiparando-se ao uso de sêmen puro não-diluído e inseminado logo após a coleta.<br>The objective of this work was to identify the best semen extender, the dilution rate and the storage time for rooster semen. A total of 60 roosters and 630 hens with 55 weeks of age were artificially inseminated, once a week, by six consecutive weeks, using .05 mL of semen/hen. The treatments were: T1=semen diluted with commercial extender-DC; T2 =semen diluted with Beltsville Poultry Semen Extender-BPSE; T3=semen diluted with Lake solution-LAKE and T4=pure fresh semen (Control). The dilution levels (D) were D=0 (undiluted), D=2 (1 part of semen: 2 parts of extender) and D=4 (1 part of semen: 4 parts of extender). Storage time (H) was H=0, no rest, H=1, IA 1 hour after collection and H=24, IA 24 hours after collection (preserved in refrigerator between 2 and 5°C). The eggs were evaluated tby candling and at birth including the egg breaking for the no hatchable eggs. The fresh undiluted semen without storage produced the best averages for fertility (87.2) and birth (79.5%). The averages fertility and birth of the chicks for the semen diluted in the proportion of 1:2 with 24 hours of storage time were 84.8 and 76.3; 81.7 and 73.6 and 76.0 and 65.9, respectively for the extenders LAKE, DC and BPSE. When diluted semen was used, the dilution 1:2 produced better results than 1:4. The rest time for the semen, after dilution should be the minimum as possible. The Lake solution presented the best results among the extenders being equivalent to the use of fresh undiluted semen and inseminated just after the collection