1,720,974 research outputs found
Sperm DNA assays and their relationship to sperm motility and morphology in bulls (Bos Taurus)
No full textThe relationship among sperm DNA assays in bulls with different sperm motility and morphology measures has not been reported. The objectives of the present study were to (1) describe Comet assay measures and examine their repeatability (inter- and intra-assay); (2) compare sperm DNA quality assays (i.e., Sperm Chromatin Structure Assay-SCSA; alkaline and neutral Comet assays and Sperm Bos Halomax assay-SBH) in two groups of bulls selected on either greater and lesser sperm motility and morphology (greater compared with lesser); (3) determine the relationship among DNA assays and sperm motility and morphology values. Inter-assay repeatability was greater for the neutral Comet assay as compared to the alkaline Comet assay. Intra-assay repeatability was greater than inter-assay repeatability for both Comet assays. Comet assay dimension measures and percentage tail DNA were the most repeatable for both Comet assays. Among sperm DNA quality assays, only SCSA measures and neutral Comet assay Ghosts (% Ghosts), head diameter and area, and comet area were different between greater and lesser sperm quality groups (P<0.05). The SCSA measures were inversely correlated with neutral Comet head measures (diameter, area, and intensity) and positively with percentage Ghosts (P<0.05). The % Ghosts and COMP-αt were correlated with some measures of sperm morphology and sperm motility. The neutral Comet assay was more appropriate for sperm evaluation than the alkaline Comet assay for distinguishing among groups with different sperm quality
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Artifactual Disruption of the Spermatozoal Midpiece in Extended Stallion Semen Following Fixation
Full text linkMicroscopic examination of stallion spermatozoal morphology provides a useful criterion for assessing the quality of semen and reproductive capabilities of a stallion. In previous investigations, personnel in our laboratory coincidently noted an apparent artifactual disruption of the spermatozoal midpiece, which we have coined ���stippled midpiece,��� when stallion semen is mixed with various commercial extenders prior to formalin fixation for spermatozoal morphologic analysis. This thesis was directed at determining the etiology of this previously unreported defect by investigating the induced morphologic change using light- and electron-microscopic techniques.
Six preliminary experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of various semen diluents, fixative types, and fixative concentrations on the incidence of stippled midpieces. Preliminary experiments revealed an apparent increase in the incidence of stippled spermatozoal midpieces following exposure to certain media prior to fixation. A higher percentage of stippled midpieces appeared to be particularly evident in media containing milk or milk fractions. Subsequently, the Central Experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of 17 diluent types and two sperm-extender exposure times prior to fixation (Time 0 h and T1 h), on the incidence of stippled midpieces. The stippled midpiece abnormality was most prevalent in semen diluents containing casein or milk and egg yolk (p 0.05) and exhibited the lowest incidence of stippled midpieces among the diluent groups (p < 0.05). Diluents containing any protein exhibited a higher incidence of stippled midpieces than raw semen (p < 0.05). Intrinsic spermatozoal quality was not correlated with the incidence of stippled midpieces when semen was formalin-preserved in raw form. However, spermatozoal quality was correlated to the incidence of stippled midpieces when semen was mixed with certain diluents prior to formalin-fixation. This relationship was most pronounced when diluent contained milk or casein
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Hyperactivated Motility of Stallion Spermatozoa
Full text linkIn vitro fertilization does not occur readily in the horse. Recent evidence suggests that this is due to failure to initiate hyperactivated motility in vitro; however, little is known about the induction of hyperactivated motility in equine sperm. In mice, hyperactivated motility requires the CatSper channel, a pH-gated calcium channel, therefore we investigated this channel and its related intracellular changes, alkalinization and calcium influx, in equine sperm. Motility was assessed by computer-assisted sperm motility analysis, andchanges in intracellular pH and calcium were determined via the calcium and pH-specific fluorescent probes, BCECF-AM, Fluo3-AMand Fluo4-AM. Additionally, a demembranated sperm model was developed to investigate the direct effect of major regulators of sperm motility on axonemal function.
Increasing intracellular pH induced a rise in intracellular calcium, which was inhibited by the known CatSper blocker mibefradil, supporting the presence of a pH-gated calcium channel, presumably CatSper, in equine sperm. Hyperactivation was induced by treatment with high-pH medium, procaine and 4-aminopyridine. Hyperactivation was associated with moderately increased intracellular pH, but appeared inversely related to increases in intracellular calcium. Sperm treated with procaine in calcium-deficient media both maintained motility and underwent hyperactivation, suggesting that extracellular calcium was not required for hyperactivation. CATSPER1 protein was localized to the principal piece of equine sperm on immunocytochemistry. Analysis of the predicted equine CATSPER1 protein revealed species-specific differences in structure in the pH-sensor region.
Demembranated equine sperm required ATP for reactivated motility, but did not require cAMP. Motility of demembranated equine sperm was not inhibited by elimination of calcium (chelation to below 20 pM). Excess calcium inhibited motility at concentrations lower than those reported in other species. Calcium-inhibited sperm arrested with a straight tail rather than in a curve, as seen with calcium arrest in other species. Hyperactivated-like motility was not induced at any pH or calcium concentration. Equine sperm were not inhibited by cadmium at concentrations that profoundly inhibit motility in demembranated sperm in other species. These findings indicate species-specific differences in calcium regulation of sperm motility which may relate directly to the inefficiency of functional capacitation of equine sperm under standard in vitro conditions
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe 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
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
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