Exploring indicators of genetic selection using the sniffer method to reduce methane emissions from Holstein cows.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate whether the methane (CH4) to carbon dioxide (CO2) ratio (CH4/CO2) and methane-related traits obtained by the sniffer method can be used as indicators for genetic selection of Holstein cows with lower CH4 emissions. METHODS: The sniffer method was used to simultaneously measure the concentrations of CH4 and CO2 during milking in each milking box of the automatic milking system to obtain CH4/CO2. Methane-related traits, which included CH4 emissions, CH4 per energy-corrected milk, methane conversion factor (MCF), and residual CH4, were calculated. First, we investigated the impact of the model with and without body weight (BW) on the lactation stage and parity for predicting methane-related traits using a first on-farm dataset (Farm 1; 400 records for 74 Holstein cows). Second, we estimated the genetic parameters for CH4/CO2 and methane-related traits using a second on-farm dataset (Farm 2; 520 records for 182 Holstein cows). Third, we compared the repeatability and environmental effects on these traits in both farm datasets. RESULTS: The data from Farm 1 revealed that MCF can be reliably evaluated during the lactation stage and parity, even when BW is excluded from the model. Farm 2 data revealed low heritability and moderate repeatability for CH4/CO2 (0.12 and 0.46, respectively) and MCF (0.13 and 0.38, respectively). In addition, the estimated genetic correlation of milk yield with CH4/CO2 was low (0.07) and that with MCF was moderate (-0.53). The on-farm data indicated that CH4/CO2 and MCF could be evaluated consistently during the lactation stage and parity with moderate repeatability on both farms. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated the on-farm applicability of the sniffer method for selecting cows with low CH4 emissions.

Rumen microbial composition associated with the non-glucogenic to glucogenic short-chain fatty acids ratio in Holstein cows.

This study aimed to determine the physiological features and rumen microbial composition associated with the non-glucogenic-to-glucogenic short-chain fatty acids ratio (NGR). Holstein cows were housed in a free-stall barn with an automatic milking system and fed a partially mixed ration. Physiological and microbial analyses were performed on 66 datasets collected from 66 cows (50-250 days in milk). NGR was positively correlated with ruminal pH, relative abundances of protozoa and fungi, methane conversion factor, methane intensity, plasma lipids, parity, and milk fat, and negatively correlated with total short-chain fatty acids. To highlight the differences in bacterial and archaeal compositions between NGRs, low-NGR cows (N = 22) were compared with medium-NGR (N = 22) and high-NGR (N = 22) cows. The low-NGR group was characterized by a lower abundance of Methanobrevibacter and a higher abundance of operational taxonomic units belonging to the lactate-producing, such as Intestinibaculum, Kandleria, and Dialister, and the succinate-producing Prevotella. Our findings indicate that NGR affects the methane conversion factor, methane intensity, and blood and milk compositions. Low NGR is associated with a higher abundance of lactate- and succinate-producing bacteria and lower abundances of protozoa, fungi, and Methanobrevibacter.

Additional Nucleophile-Free FeCl3-Catalyzed Green Deprotection of 2,4-Dimethoxyphenylmethyl-Protected Alcohols and Carboxylic Acids.

The deprotection of the methoxyphenylmethyl (MPM) ether and ester derivatives can be generally achieved by the combinatorial use of a catalytic Lewis acid and stoichiometric nucleophile. The deprotections of 2,4-dimethoxyphenylmethyl (DMPM)-protected alcohols and carboxylic acids were found to be effectively catalyzed by iron(III) chloride without any additional nucleophile to form the deprotected mother alcohols and carboxylic acids in excellent yields. Since the present deprotection proceeds via the self-assembling mechanism of the 2,4-DMPM protective group itself to give the hardly-soluble resorcinarene derivative as a precipitate, the rigorous purification process by silica-gel column chromatography was unnecessary and the sufficiently-pure alcohols and carboxylic acids were easily obtained in satisfactory yields after simple filtration.

Disiloxane Synthesis Based on Silicon-Hydrogen Bond Activation using Gold and Platinum on Carbon in Water or Heavy Water.

Disiloxanes possessing a silicon-oxygen linkage are important as frameworks for functional materials and coupling partners for Hiyama-type cross coupling. We found that disiloxanes were effectively constructed of hydrosilanes catalyzed by gold on carbon in water as the solvent and oxidant in association with the emission of hydrogen gas at room temperature. The present oxidation could proceed via various reaction pathways, such as the hydration of hydrosilane into silanol, dehydrogenative coupling of hydrosilane into disilane, and the subsequent corresponding reactions to disiloxane. Additionally, the platinum on carbon catalyzed hydrogen-deuterium exchange reaction of arylhydrosilanes as substrates in heavy water proceeded on the aromatic nuclei at 80 °C with high deuterium efficiency and high regioselectivity at the only meta and para positions of the aromatic-silicon bond to give the deuterium-labeled disiloxanes.

FeCl3-catalyzed self-cleaving deprotection of methoxyphenylmethyl-protected alcohols.

4-Methoxyphenylmethyl ethers are widely utilized as alcohol protecting groups. FeCl3 effectively catalyzes the deprotection of methoxyphenylmethyl-type ethers in a self-cleaving manner to produce oligomeric derivatives and alcohols. Remarkably, the highly pure mother alcohols can be obtained without silica gel column chromatography by using the 2,4-dimethoxyphenylmethyl group as a protective group.

"They treated me like a leper". Stigmatization and the quality of life of patients with hepatitis C.

OBJECTIVE: Hepatitis C virus is the most prevalent chronic blood-borne infection in the United States, typically acquired through contaminated blood products or needle sharing. We hypothesized that patients with chronic hepatitis C infection experience stigmatization independent of mode of acquisition and that it negatively affects quality of life. DESIGN: Cross-sectional observation study. SETTING: Specialty clinic in a tertiary referral hospital. PATIENTS: Two hundred and ninety outpatients diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C infection and seen in a hepatology clinic. Thirty participants were excluded because of missing data. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Patients were asked to complete a demographic profile, a semistructured interview, the Sickness Impact Profile, and the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale. A team of two blinded coders analyzed the interviews. A total of 147 of the 257 study patients experienced stigmatization that they attributed to the disease. Women were more likely to report perceived stigmatization than men (P <.05). Age, education, professional status, and mode of infection did not influence the likelihood of stigmatization. Stigmatization was associated with higher anxiety (P <.01) and depression (P <.01), worsened quality of life (P <.01), loss of control (P <.01), and difficulty coping (P <.01). Individuals who experienced stigmatization also mentioned problems in their health care (P <.01) and work environment (P <.01) as well as with family members (P <.01). CONCLUSION: Stigmatization is a very common emotionally burdensome experience for patients with hepatitis C, which can erode social support. As it penetrates even into the health care environment, physicians and other care providers should be aware of the existence and impact of such negative stereotyping.