scholarly journals New cellular imaging of oocytes and preimplantation embryos using Lumitein™: Evaluation of oocyte quality and new information on protein dynamics within the perivitelline space during the one-cell oocyte stage in mice

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-161
Author(s):  
Hiroka OKAJI ◽  
Kenta TETSUKA ◽  
Ren WATANABE ◽  
Satoshi KISHIGAMI
Reproduction ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 128 (3) ◽  
pp. 301-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Rinaudo ◽  
Richard M Schultz

Culture of preimplantation embryos affects gene expression. The magnitude of the effect on the global pattern of gene expression, however, is not known. We compared global patterns of gene expression in blastocysts cultured from the one-cell stage in either Whitten’s medium or KSOM + amino acids (KSOM/AA) with that of blastocysts that developed in vivo, using the Affymetrix MOE430A chip. The analysis revealed that expression of 114 genes was affected after culture in Whitten’s medium, whereas only 29 genes were mis-expressed after culture in KSOM/AA. Expression Analysis Systematic Explorer was used to identify biological and molecular processes that are perturbed after culture and indicated that genes involved in protein synthesis, cell proliferation and transporter function were down-regulated after culture in Whitten’s medium. A common set of genes involved in transporter function was also down-regulated after culture in KSOM/AA. These results provide insights as to why embryos develop better in KSOM/AA than in Whitten’s medium, and highlight the power of microarray analysis to assess global patterns of gene expression.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 15
Author(s):  
Tareq Alfraidi

The concept of Theme is regarded as a functional linguistic element that exists in many languages. The main aim of this study is to explore the functions of Theme in Arabic, applying the Systemic Functional Linguistics framework adopted by Downing (1991). Methodologically, several related real examples have been selected from the written discourse of Modern Standard Arabic and then analyzed contextually. The empirical analysis has revealed that (i) Theme can provide different functions, such as Individual, Circumstantial and Subjective and Logical Frameworks for the interpretation of the Rheme, and (ii) Theme can interact dynamically with different grammatical functions (e.g. Subject, Object, etc.) and have different pragmatic functions (e.g. Topic, Given and New information). Therefore, the view that makes a necessary link between Theme on the one hand and Noun Phrase, Topic or Given information on the other hand is proven incorrect and empirically invalid. Similar results have been obtained in the context of English (Downing 1991) but not yet for Arabic? This strengthens not only the universality of the concept of Theme but also its functions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
pp. 11-24
Author(s):  
Dorota Małgorzata Rynio

In the times of quick and widespread changes, innovations and new ways of city management, new approaches to planning of strategic development of urban entities are expected. Therefore there is a continuing search for possibilities of acquiring new information about the city market and ways to shape it, residents’ participation and involvement, and also creating city openness. Urban centres are not closed entities but they have strong relations with the local, domestic and global markets. There is a search for new directions and priorities in strategic planning of social and economic development, while the established goals follow consultations, workshops and meetings of various groups of urban stakeholders. The consequences of long-term implementation of a city’s image as open is, on the one hand, its recognisability, yet – on the other one – the experience of positive and negative effects of the implementation. The purpose of the study is to identify selected contemporary conditions of strategic planning of a city’s social and economic development, emphasising – in particular – the bases for creating a city’s openness, including the related opportunities and hazards. Another intention is to highlight innovative ways of collecting market information about needs and aspirations of city users, as well as to form the residents’ attitude towards their involvement in the development of their living space. The applied research methods include literature studies, benchmarking and reasoning.


2004 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
DAVID C. REISMAN

My aim here is to present an editio princeps of a newly discovered Arabic translation of a very important passage from Plato's Republic (Book VI, 506d3–509b10) found in the work entitled Kitāb fī Masā'il al-umūr al-ilāhiyya (hereafter Masā'il), penned by the somewhat obscure Neoplatonist Abū Hāmid al-Isfizārī (fl. mid-fourth / tenth c.). While an edition of al-Isfizārī's work has been published by Daniel Gimaret, the manuscript he used (Ragıp Paşa 1463) lacked the literal translation of the Republic passage. The one other known exemplar of the work, MS Zāhiriyya 4871, dated slightly later than the first, appears to be closer to the author's original unedited version; it contains the Republic passage. I am currently preparing a new edition of the work on the basis of the Zāhiriyya manuscript, but it seemed worthwhile to bring the Republic passage to immediate attention. I do not attempt here a thorough evaluation of al-Isfizārī's philosophy as presented in the Masā'il; this can be done successfully only upon completion of the edition. However, to place the work in its proper context, I do provide a brief overview of the transmission of Plato's Republic in Arabic; a discussion of new information on al-Isfizārī's Nachlass, and a description of the two exemplars of his Masā'il. The edited text of the passage from the Republic is accompanied by a provisional translation.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvatore Giovanni Vitale ◽  
Paola Rossetti ◽  
Francesco Corrado ◽  
Agnese Maria Chiara Rapisarda ◽  
Sandro La Vignera ◽  
...  

Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) have experienced growing interest from infertile patients seeking to become pregnant. The quality of oocytes plays a pivotal role in determining ART outcomes. Although many authors have studied how supplementation therapy may affect this important parameter for both in vivo and in vitro models, data are not yet robust enough to support firm conclusions. Regarding this last point, in this review our objective has been to evaluate the state of the art regarding supplementation with melatonin and myo-inositol in order to improve oocyte quality during ART. On the one hand, the antioxidant effect of melatonin is well known as being useful during ovulation and oocyte incubation, two occasions with a high level of oxidative stress. On the other hand, myo-inositol is important in cellular structure and in cellular signaling pathways. Our analysis suggests that the use of these two molecules may significantly improve the quality of oocytes and the quality of embryos: melatonin seems to raise the fertilization rate, and myo-inositol improves the pregnancy rate, although all published studies do not fully agree with these conclusions. However, previous studies have demonstrated that cotreatment improves these results compared with melatonin alone or myo-inositol alone. We recommend that further studies be performed in order to confirm these positive outcomes in routine ART treatment.


Author(s):  
Joseph Walker

This is the Information Age, and that epicenter is information flow and content control. This is the one occupation that is best suited to benefit from this still evolving epoch of human history. In fact, any organization that fundamentally relies on information dissemination as a core resource to their production would seek out information experts as the de facto experts in this field for consultation on how best to handle their large volumes of information. Today, companies are searching for these very professionals and will pay extraordinarily well to have such expertise in their organizations. As long as they change their mindset, evolve from conservative ideologies of what a library professional is, and retain and improve upon the traditional library services while seeking to develop techniques and technologies that effectively handle the workflow of the information dissemination process in a Digital Age—adapting technologies such as the KATIE Index, the MEL System, and the LISA Informationbase for the physical and virtual collection management requirements—most library professionals will be able to focus on becoming information experts and establish their relevance at the very epicenter of business and education. Evolving into the information expert and leveraging new information technologies is where the future of library studies lays in this digital segment of the Information Age. This chapter concludes the first section of the book.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Grbic ◽  
D Stimac Grbic ◽  
L Stimac ◽  
Z Sostar

Abstract Introduction The coronavirus outbreak has set off alarms around the world, leading to border closures, trade controls, travel bans and other measures. The Wuhan coronavirus epidemic continues to spread globally to the new European hotspot in Italy. New information about the epidemic and the virus is changing rapidly as the virus spreads and appears in parts of the world. Although official announcements by the Croatian Government and Crisis Staff calmed the public with pictures and data on the disease, it showed something else that heightened public concern and caused two conflicting phenomena among citizens - on the one hand, the majority showed understandable doubt about the information that could have raised the concern for their own health while the rest of the population ignored the facts. The market showed complete unwillingness to cope with this epidemic and a chronic shortage of protective equipment (masks, disinfectants...) emerged. Most of the citizens' queries and concerns were moving in the direction of personal protection, child protection and justification for holding large gatherings. Results By March 8, 2020, twelve COVID-19 patients were recorded in Croatia, of which 5 were patients in Rijeka, 3 in Zagreb and 4 in Varaždin. The first sick person is a Croatian citizen from Zagreb who became infected during his stay in Italy (Milan, Lombardy province). Conclusions In this crisis, several basic principles of crisis communication with the public have been forgotten: The first source of communication often becomes the source against which everyone else is measured.Accuracy is crucial to credibility.Emotion cannot be countered by facts. People must first know that the government cares.The public should regain a sense of control over circumstances beyond control.A lack of public respect in a crisis undermines trust.Honesty is fundamental to maintaining trust. Key messages Accuracy is crucial to credibility. Emotion cannot be countered by facts.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer C. Lutz ◽  
Susan L. Johnson ◽  
Kimberly J. Duprey ◽  
Paul J. Taylor ◽  
Henry William Vivanco-Mackie ◽  
...  

The alpaca (Vicugna pacos) is an important species for the production of fiber and food. Genetic improvement programs for alpacas have been hindered, however, by the lack of field-practical techniques for artificial insemination and embryo transfer. In particular, successful techniques for the cryopreservation of alpaca preimplantation embryos have not been reported previously. The objective of this study was to develop a field-practical and efficacious technique for cryopreservation of alpaca preimplantation embryos using a modification of a vitrification protocol originally devised for horses and adapted for dromedary camels. Four naturally cycling non-superovulated Huacaya females serving as embryo donors were mated to males of proven fertility. Donors received 30 μg of gonadorelin at the time of breeding, and embryos were non-surgically recovered 7 days after mating. Recovered embryos (n = 4) were placed individually through a series of three vitrification solutions at 20°C (VS1: 1.4 M glycerol; VS2: 1.4 M glycerol + 3.6 M ethylene glycol; VS3: 3.4 M glycerol + 4.6 M ethylene glycol) before loading into an open-pulled straw (OPS) and plunging directly into liquid nitrogen for storage. At warming, each individual embryo was sequentially placed through warming solutions (WS1: 0.5 M galactose at 37°C; WS2: 0.25 M galactose at 20°C), and warmed embryos were incubated at 37°C in 5% CO2 in humidified air for 20–22 h in 1 ml Syngro® holding medium supplemented with 10% (v/v) alpaca serum to perform an initial in vitro assessment of post-warming viability. Embryos whose diameter increased during culture (n = 2) were transferred individually into synchronous recipients, whereas embryos that did not grow (n = 2) were transferred together into a single recipient to perform an in vivo assessment of post-warming viability. Initial pregnancy detection was performed ultrasonographically 29 days post-transfer when fetal heartbeat could be detected, and one of three recipients was pregnant (25% embryo survival rate). On November 13, 2019, the one pregnant recipient delivered what is believed to be the world's first cria produced from a vitrified-warmed alpaca embryo.


Mathematics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Amorós ◽  
Ioannis K. Argyros ◽  
Daniel González ◽  
Ángel Alberto Magreñán ◽  
Samundra Regmi ◽  
...  

There is a need to extend the convergence domain of iterative methods for computing a locally unique solution of Banach space valued operator equations. This is because the domain is small in general, limiting the applicability of the methods. The new idea involves the construction of a tighter set than the ones used before also containing the iterates leading to at least as tight Lipschitz parameters and consequently a finer local as well as a semi-local convergence analysis. We used Newton’s method to demonstrate our technique. However, our technique can be used to extend the applicability of other methods too in an analogous manner. In particular, the new information related to the location of the solution improves the one in previous studies. This work also includes numerical examples that validate the proven results.


2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 320
Author(s):  
K. C. Almeida ◽  
A. F. Pereira ◽  
A. S. Alcântara Neto ◽  
S. R. G. Avelar ◽  
F. C. Sousa ◽  
...  

Oocyte IVM is a long process during which oocytes acquire their ability to support the stages of development in a stepwise manner, ultimately reaching activation of the embryonic genome. The overall success of this process can be affected by factors such as hormonal treatment for ovarian stimulation. Thus, the current study aims to evaluate the possible effects of the ovarian stimulatory protocols on the goat oocyte quality and IVM rate. Adult and cyclic Canindé goats were heat-synchronized by means of intravaginal sponges impregnated with 60 mg medroxyprogesterone acetate (MAP, Progespon, Syntex, Buenos Aires, Argentina) inserted for 11 days coupled with a luteolytic injection of 50 μg cloprostenol (Ciosin, Coopers, São Paulo, Brazil) in the 8th day of treatment. The ovarian stimulation was carried out using one of the following protocols: a) standard multi-doses (MD) with 120 mg pFSH (Folltropin-V, Vetrepharm, Canada) distributed in five injections (30/30; 20/20; 20 mg) at 12 h intervals (n = 18); b) three- doses (TD) with 120 mg pFSH administered in three injections (60; 40; 20 mg) at 24 h intervals (n = 17); c) one shot (OD) of 70 mg pFSH plus 200 IU of eCG (Novormon, Syntex) administered 36 h before sponge removal (n = 17). In MD andTD groups, the pFSH injections started in Day 8 of progestagen treatment. The follicles were aspirated just after the sponge removal using laparoscopic oocyte recovery (LOR). This procedure was performed with a 22-gauge needle and a vacuum pump at 30 mmHg. The collection medium was TCM-199 supplemented with HEPES (10 mM), heparin (20 IU mL-1), and gentamicin sulfate (40 μg mL-1). COCs were classified as grade I, II, III, or IV based on visual criteria (Baldassarre H et al. 2003 Theriogenology 56, 831-839). Good quality oocytes (grade I and II) were incubated in TCM-199 supplemented with cysteamine (100 μM), EGF (10 ng mL-1) and gentamicin sulfate (40 μgm L-1) at 38.5°C in a humidified atmosphere with 5% CO2 in air for 24 h. Oocyte maturation was assessed by the visualization of first polar body under inverted microscope. Data were expressed as percentages and analyzed using the Fischer’s exact test. No statistical differences among hormonal treatments (P > 0.05) were observed for the percentage of the good quality oocytes, with 70.4 ± 3.0% of COCs graded in I and II. The IVM rate inTD (31.4%) was statistically lower than MD (31.4% v. 46.5%, P = 0.04) group. However, no significant differences (P = 0.89) were observed between OD (45.2%) and MD groups. Thus, current results indicate that oocyte production for IVM can be facilitated using ovarian stimulation with the one shot FSH/eCG regime without affecting meiotic competence. In summary, OD and MD treatments can be used for oocyte IVM in an embryo production programme in Canindé goats. This study was supported by the following Brazilian agencies: FINEP, CNPq, FUNCAP, and CAPES.


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