196,143 research outputs found
Porous silica microshells from diatoms as biocarrier for drug delivery applications
No full textAbstract not availableMoom Sinn Aw, Spomenka Simovic, Yang Yu, Jonas Addai-Mensah, Dusan Losi
Cumulus cell determinants of oocytes developmental competence
No full textA third of women undergoing oncological treatment is at risk of premature ovarian failure. In vitro maturation of denuded fullygrown antral oocytes (DOs) to metaphase II in the presence of cumulus cells (CCs) and their further cryopreservation is a strategy for preserving women fertility.1,2 Attempts have been made to culture DOs upon a feeder layer of CCs (FL-CCs) with meager results.3-5 The purpose of this study was to test whether a selection of CCs prior to the preparation of the FL improves the quality of oocytes maturation. We classified CCs based on their association with developmentally competent (SN) or incompetent (NSN) mouse fully-grown antral oocytes and prepared a FL-SNCCs or FL-NSN-CCs, respectively. We show that maturation of DOs upon FL-SN-CCs significantly better contributes to the acquisition of oocytes meiotic and developmental competence, with a developmental rate to blastocyst equal to that obtained after the maturation of intact cumulus oocyte complexes. Instead, DOs matured in the absence of CCs (NO-FL) or upon FL-NSN-CCs undergo meiotic and developmental failure, with embryos arresting either at the 4-cell or morula stage. Our experiments suggest the presence of a crucial developmental CC-factor/s released in the presence of FL-SN-CCs during oocyte maturation. These results set the bases to unravel the molecules involved in the cross-talk between the gamete and its companion cumulus cells during the GV-to-MII transition and to further improve the protocols of antral oocytes maturation in animal studies and human clinical applications
IVM of mouse fully grown germinal vesicle oocytes upon a feeder layer of selected cumulus cells enhances their developmental competence
No full textIn the mouse, the use of the DNA-binding fluorochrome Hoechst 33342 allows the classification of fully-grown antral oocytes into two categories distinguished by their chromatin conformation: surrounding nucleolus (SN) and not-surrounding nucleolus (NSN) oocytes, the former capable of completing development, the latter unable to proceed beyond the 2-cell stage. In the present study, time-lapse observation of SN and NSN oocyte GV-to-MII transition highlighted differences in the timing of germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) and polar body I (PB-I) extrusion. PB-I extrusion, but not GVBD, revealed the presence of three main groups of significantly different oocytes: Group A (456-576 min) comprising mainly SN oocytes (91.4%), group B (584-728 min) entailing an almost equivalent percentage of SN (52.7%) and NSN (47.3%) oocytes, whereas group C (736-896 min) consisting of almost all NSN (94.4%) oocytes. In a further set of time-lapse experiments, GV oocytes were in vitro matured without Hoechst staining and, depending on the timing of PB-I extrusion, sorted into group A, B or C, inseminated with sperm and observed throughout preimplantation. The results show that 26.2 ± 12.3% of group A, 2.4 ± 5.0% of group B and none of group C MII oocytes developed to blastocyst. Overall, this study shows that SN oocytes that complete MI earlier are those with a better developmental competence. The possibility to avoid the use of the invasive DNA-binding fluorochrome Hoechst is relevant for future applications in human and domestic animal reproductive technologies
Surface functionalisation of diatoms with dopamine modified iron-oxide nanoparticles: toward magnetically guided drug microcarriers with biologically derived morphologies
No full textDiatom silica microcapsules prepared by purification of diatomaceous earth (DE) were functionalised by dopamine modified iron-oxide nanoparticles, in order to introduce diatoms with magnetic properties. The application of magnetised diatoms as magnetically guided drug delivery microcarriers has been demonstrated.Dusan Losic, Yang Yu, Moom Sinn Aw, Spomenka Simovic, Benjamin Thierry and Jonas Addai-Mensa
Dr. Duane M. Jackson, Morehouse College, July 2011
No full textThis video is a conversation with Dr. Duane M. Jackson. Dr. Jackson talks about his paper, "Recall and the Serial Position Effect: The Role of Primacy and Recency on Accounting Students' Performance." Jackie Daniel, AUC Woodruff Library, is the interviewer
"Reflections on the subject of Emigration from Europe with a view to Settlement in the United States" By M. Carey.
No full text"Reflections on the subject of Emigration from Europe with a view to Settlement in the United States: containing bried sketches of the moral and political character of those states.
By M. Carey, member of the American philosophical, and of the American Antiquarian Society, and author of The Olive Branch, Cindiciae Hibernicae, essays on banking, on political economy, and on internal improvement.
To which are now added the English editor's comments on the subject; together with Important Advice to Emigrants, and Cautions Against Impositions Practiced in the Outports
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
No full textWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Dr. Glendon Swarthout
No full textHosted by Roger M. Busfield, MSU Assistant Professor of Speech and Theater, Meet the Author is designed to introduce a general audience to a contemporary author and their work through in-depth interviews. This episode features a conversation between Dr. Glendon Swarthout, prolific author and English professor at MSU, and assistant professors Sam S. Baskett and Theodore B. Strandness
Silica microcapsules from diatoms as new carrier for delivery of therapeutics
No full textAim: This study explores the use of natural silica-based porous material from diatoms, known as diatomaceous earth, as a drug carrier of therapeutics for implant- and oral-delivery applications. Materials & Methods: To prove this concept, two drugs models were used and investigated: a hydrophobic (indomethacin) and hydrophilic (gentamicin). Results & Discussion: Results show the effectiveness of diatom microcapsules for drug-delivery application, showing 14–22 wt% drug loading capacity and sustained drug release over 2 weeks. Two steps in the drug release from diatom structures were observed: the first, rapid release (over 6 h is attributed to the surface deposited drug) and the second, slow and sustained release over 2 weeks with zero order kinetics. Conclusion: These results confirm that natural material based on diatom silica can be successfully applied as a drug carrier for both oral and implant drug-delivery applications, offering considerable potential to replace existing synthetic nanomaterials.Moom Sinn Aw, Spomenka Simovic, Jonas Addai-Mensah & Dusan Losi
Simulation of thermal plant optimization and hydraulic aspects of thermal distribution loops for large campuses
No full textFollowing an introduction, the author describes Texas A&M University and its utilities system. After that, the author presents how to construct simulation models for chilled water and heating hot water distribution systems. The simulation model was used in a $2.3 million Ross Street chilled water pipe replacement project at Texas A&M University. A second project conducted at the University of Texas at San Antonio was used as an example to demonstrate how to identify and design an optimal distribution system by using a simulation model. The author found that the minor losses of these closed loop thermal distribution systems are significantly higher than potable water distribution systems. In the second part of the report, the author presents the latest development of software called the Plant Optimization Program, which can simulate cogeneration plant operation, estimate its operation cost and provide optimized operation suggestions. The author also developed detailed simulation models for a gas turbine and heat recovery steam generator and identified significant potential savings. Finally, the author also used a steam turbine as an example to present a multi-regression method on constructing simulation models by using basic statistics and optimization algorithms. This report presents a survey of the author??s working experience at the Energy Systems Laboratory (ESL) at Texas A&M University during the period of January 2002 through March 2004. The purpose of the above work was to allow the author to become familiar with the practice of engineering. The result is that the author knows how to complete a project from start to finish and understands how both technical and nontechnical aspects of a project need to be considered in order to ensure a quality deliverable and bring a project to successful completion. This report concludes that the objectives of the internship were successfully accomplished and that the requirements for the degree of Degree of Engineering have been satisfied
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