17 beta-Estradiol and progesterone improve in-vitro cytoplasmic maturation of oocytes from unstimulated prepubertal and adult rhesus monkeys

BACKGROUND: Effects of 17beta-estradiol and progesterone on rhesus monkey oocyte maturation in vitro were evaluated by embryo development subsequent to IVF. METHODS AND RESULTS: In experiment 1, immature cumulus-oocyte complexes collected from unstimulated adult females during the non-breeding season were matured in modified medium CMRL-1066 containing various combinations of gonadotrophins (FSH + LH), estradiol and/or progesterone. Formation of morulae and blastocysts was greatest in oocytes matured in medium containing estradiol and/or progesterone, with or without gonadotrophins (morula 38-46%, blastocyst 14-20%) than in control oocytes matured without estradiol or progesterone (morula 14%, blastocyst 0%). In experiment 2, cumulus-oocyte complexes from unstimulated prepubertal female monkeys were matured in medium with gonadotrophins, estradiol or progesterone. The best development to the morula stage was obtained with oocytes matured with gonadotrophins and estradiol or gonadotrophins and progesterone (43 and 25 morulae, respectively), while control oocytes matured with gonadotrophins but without steroid hormones gave the poorest morula developmental response (12%). However, there was no difference in blastocyst development across all groups (0-3%). CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that during rhesus monkey oocyte maturation in vitro: (i) estradiol or progesterone can improve oocyte developmental competence; (ii) immature oocytes from prepubertal versus adult females have differential responses to challenge with estradiol or progesterone.

Impairments in embryonic genome activation in rhesus monkey somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is a remarkable process in which a somatic cell nucleus is acted upon by the ooplasm via mechanisms that today remain unknown. Here we show the developmental competence (% blastocyst) of embryos derived from SCNT (21%)

Amino acid requirements for maturation of rhesus monkey (Macacca mulatta) oocytes in culture

This study evaluated the effects of different amino acid formulations on supporting meiotic and cytoplasmic maturation of rhesus monkey (Macacca mulatta) oocytes in vitro. Five hundred and forty-six cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) aspirated from unstimulated adult monkey follicles (greater than or equal to 1000 mum in diameter) were cultured in either modified Connaught Medical Research Laboratories 1066 medium (mCMRL-1066) or in one of eight chemically defined media (modified basic medium 5 supplemented with 5.5 mmol glucose l(-1), 0.003 mmol pantothenic acid l(-1) and different amino acid formulations) as below: (1) modified basic medium 5 (mBM5) containing no amino acid; (2) mBM5 + 0.2 mmol glutamine l(-1); (3) mBM5 + 11 amino acids from hamster embryo culture medium 6 (HECM-6) (11 AA); (4) mBM5 + Eagle's non-essential amino acids (NEA); (5) mBM5 + NEA + 0.2 mmol glutamine l(-1); (6) mBM5 + Eagle's essential amino acids (EA) without glutamine; (7) mBM5 + EA + 0.2 mmol glutamine l(-1); (8) mBM5 + Eagle's 20 amino acids (20 AA) + 0.2 mmol glutamine l(-1); and (9) mCMRL-1066 (control). All media contained FSH, LH, oestradiol and progesterone. After maturation, mature oocytes were subjected to the same fertilization and embryo culture procedures. COCs matured in treatment 5 had greater potential to progress to metaphase II (66%; P < 0.05) than did those in treatments 1 (37.3%), 2 (48.3%)f 3 (41%), 6 (41%) and 9 (43%). Oocytes matured in treatment 8 had the best morula (53%) and blastocyst (18%) developmental responses (P<0.05). The lowest (P<0.05) morula and blastocyst developmental responses were obtained from COCs matured in treatments 1 (0%) and 6 (8%). The other media supported intermediate embryonic development (range 11-38% of morula and blastocyst). These results indicate that the choice of amino acids affects the competence of oocyte maturation and that Eagle's 20 AA with 0.2 mmol glutamine l(-1) is more efficient than the other amino acid formulations for maturation of rhesus monkey oocytes.

Evaluation of Setup Procedures on Mobile Devices Based on Users’ Initial Experience

Users’ initial perceptions of their competence are key motivational factors for further use. However, initial tasks on a mobile operating system (OS) require setup procedures, which are currently largely inconsistent, do not provide users with clear, visible and immediate feedback on their actions, and require significant adjustment time for first-time users. This paper reports on a study with ten users, carried out to better understand how both prior experience and initial interaction with two touchscreen mobile interfaces (Apple iOS and Google Android) affected setup task performance and motivation. The results show that the reactions to setup on mobile interfaces appear to be partially dependent on which device was experienced first. Initial experience with lower-complexity devices improves performance on higher-complexity devices, but not vice versa. Based on these results, the paper proposes six guidelines for designers to design more intuitive and motivating user interfaces (UI) for setup procedures. The preliminary results indicate that these guidelines can contribute to the design of more inclusive mobile platforms and further work to validate these findings is proposed.

Facets of prior experience and the effectiveness of inclusive design

Research in inclusive design has shown the importance of prior experience for the usability of interactive products. Prior experience, however, is an ill-defined and inconsistently used construct. A number of different definitions and operationalisations of experience exist, but the differing power of these operationalisations to predict the usability of products for older users has rarely been investigated systematically. This study seeks to fill that gap. It is argued that the construct of experience has at least three components. It is proposed that two of these components, exposure and competence, are directly relevant for the current discussion about prior experience in inclusive design and that they can predict to different degrees the usability of a product for older users. In an empirical study, these facets of expertise are each operationalised on three levels of specificity and their impact on usability is assessed. The results show that measures of competence predict usability variables more strongly than measures of exposure and that levels of medium and high specificity are the best predictors. The application of inclusive design principles to a redesigned version of a ticket vending machine-although not resulting in a difference of overall usability-changed the impact of prior experience on usability measures implying an enhanced inclusiveness of the redesign with regard to prior experience. The implications of these findings for the effectiveness of inclusive design for older users are discussed. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Fish ES cells and applications to biotechnology

ES cells provide a promising tool for the generation of transgenic animals with site-directed mutations. When ES cells colonize germ cells in chimeras, transgenic animals with modified phenotypes are generated and used either for functional genomics studies or for improving productivity in commercial settings. Althought the ES cell approach has been limited to, mice, there is strong interest for developing the technology in fish.. We describe the step-by-step procedure for developing ES cells in fish. Key aspects include avoiding cell differentiation, specific in vitro traits of pluripotency, and, most importantly, testing for production of chimeric animals as the main evidence of pluripotency. The entire process focuses on two model species, zebrafish and medaka, in which most work has been done. The achievements attained in these species, as well as their applicability to other commercial fish, are discussed. Because of the difficulties relating to germ line competence, mostly of long-term fish ES cells, alternative cell-based approaches such as primordial germ cells and nuclear transfer need to be considered. Although progress to date has been slow, there are promising achievements in homologous recombination and alternative avenues yet to be explored that can bring ES technology in fish to fruition.

Using epilithic diatom communities to assess ecological condition of Xiangxi River system

Assessment method for ecological condition of Xiangxi River system was studied by using 13 candidate metrics of epilithic diatom which can reflect conditions in pH, salinity, nitrogen uptake metabolism, oxygen requirements, saprobity, trophic state, morphological character and pollution tolerant capability etc. By one-way ANOVA, the metrics of relative abundance of acidobiontic algae (ACID), freshwater algae (FRESH), high oxygen requirement (HIGH-O), eutraphentic state (EUTRA) and mobile taxa ( MOBILE) were suitable for distinguishing sites in different conditions. Then, the river diatom index (RDI) composed of these five metrics was used to evaluate ecological condition of the river. The results showed that the healthiest sites were in the Guanmenshan Natural Reserve ( with the mean RDI of 79.73). The sites located in tributary of Jiuchong River also owned excellent state (mean RDI of 78.25). Mean RDI of another tributary - Gufu River and the main river were 70.85 and 68.45 respectively, and the unhealthiest tributary was Gaolan River (with mean RDI of 65.64). The mean RDI for all the 51 sites was 71.40. The competence of RDI was discussed with comparison of evaluation results of DAIpo and TDI, it can be concluded that multimetrics is more competent in assessment task.

Commercializing a disruptive technology based upon university ip through open innovation

This paper discusses the use of a university spin-out firm to bring a potentially disruptive technology to market. The focus for discussion is how a spin-out can build a technology ecosystem of providers of complementary resources to enable partner organizations to build competence in a novel and potentially disruptive technology. The paper uses the illustrative case of Cambridge Display Technology Ltd (CDT) to consider these issues from the perspective of the literature on open innovation (with particular emphasis on the role of partnerships between start-ups and established firms), the commercialization of university IP, and the commercialization of disruptive technologies. © World Scientific Publishing Company.

动漫行业创业者胜任特征研究

Venture has become an important force for the sustainable economic growth of China, However, research on entrepreneurs is far failed to meet the actual needs, Animation and Comic Industry is an important component of the state-led Cultural and Creative Industries. Entrepreneurship is the rapid growth of population, but the empirical research on the Animation and Comic Industry entrepreneurs’ Competent Characteristic Model is rarely heard. As a manager of a national incubator which major in Cultural and Creative Industry, study these entrepreneurs competent characteristics is my responsibility. As an exploration, the study uses Competent Characteristic Model of classical design methods and behavior events interview method, and selects entrepreneurs which of animation and comic industry business start-up period as the objects. Through coding analysis of 31 entrepreneurs’ interview information, completed the amendment to the dictionary coding, and ultimately construct the animation and comic industry entrepreneurs need to have the threshold competence model and differentiating competence model. Differentiating competence model includes six competencies: tolerance and optimism, cooperation, creative innovation, pool talents, vision, decision-making and tempo control. Threshold competence model includes twenty features, divided into three dimensions: personal characteristics, knowledge quality, capacity of the quality. Knowledge and capacity of the quality are closely related to the core work of entrepreneurs, Personal characteristics concern the deep-seated motivation of the entrepreneurs. The study also analyses and discusses the characteristics of the entrepreneurs on the demographic variables.

小学学习不良儿童对言语交际策略的理解与运用

[Abstract] Verbal communication strategy (VCS) refers to a programmed knowledge applied by individuals to understand and express intentions via language symbols in their realization of communicative objectives according to social conventions. As an important index of social development, verbal communication strategy has provided a new perspective for social skill studies. However, more work has to be done in the investigation of LD children’s VCS developmental pattern and affecting mechanism. Through contextual test, structured interview and role-play, the present study, by adopting integrated measurements of instrumental and interpersonal effectiveness, explored the developmental characteristics of Chinese learning-disabled primary school children across 3-6th grades at both comprehension and application levels. Then, their social perspective-taking performance and verbal retelling competence of each participant were examined, on the basis of which, path analysis was conducted, with social perspective-taking, verbal retelling and verbal communication strategy comprehension as independent variables, to reveal the inner mechanism affecting LD children’s application of verbal communication strategy. Finally, an intervention study was carried out through a combination of polite request strategy understanding lessons and social perspective-taking training dramas. The results indicate that:(1) No significant grade differences were found in LD group for polite request strategy, while significant differences were reported across different grades of non-LD children. For indirect reply strategy, significant grade and gender differences were found among LD children, but the developmental trajectory between the two groups was different. For both polite request and indirect reply strategies, the strategy comprehension level of LD children was significantly lower than those without learning disabilities. (2) No significant grade and gender differences were found in LD group in their application of polite request strategy, while for non-LD children, significant differences were reported across different grades. For indirect reply strategy, both LD and non-LD groups exhibited similar developmental characteristics. Significant group differences only exist in the over-all application level of polite request strategies, not in indirect reply strategies. However, the differences of the latter between the two groups were found at significant level only among the 11-12 year olds. (3) LD children’s perspective-taking and verbal retelling competence were significantly lower than those of non-LD group. For polite request strategy, the influence of social perspective-taking to strategy application was indirect and must be via strategy comprehension, while for indirect reply strategy, strategy comprehension was found to play as a partial mediator between social perspective-taking and strategy application. The influence of verbal retelling to strategy application was indirect on both types of strategies. (4) LD children’s strategy comprehension and social perspective-taking level can be improved, and the improvement of these two competences has significant positive impact on the increase of their strategy application level. Key Words: learning disabilities, verbal communication strategy, social perspective- taking

Gender and health: a social movement’s agenda for Big Pharma.

Social movements have an important new campaigning and organizing competence in new information communication technologies. These technologies also enable the members of social movements to readily research the accuracy of information: knowledge becomes globalized and readily accessible. In relation to Big Pharma, women’s social movements and social movements of the medicated intersect, and there is now a substantial challenge to Big Pharma both within developed and developing countries from the terrain of gender and health. This paper documents those challenges and looks towards their consequences in the future both in respect of Big Pharma but also in terms of 'academic' research

A module-based approach to foster and document the intercultural process before and during the residence abroad.

This article contributes to the debate on what form of preparation and support can enhance the intercultural student experience during the Year Abroad. It presents a credit-bearing and multi-modal module at a UK university designed to both prepare students prior to departure through a series of workshops and activities on an e-portfolio and help them engage in meta-reflection on intercultural issues during their stay. The presentation of the curricular components of the course and instances extracted from student blogs are contextualised within theoretical considerations on intercultural education and a holistic approach to student development. The longitudinal evolution of the module is presented in the context of an iterative approach leading to a cycle of revisions and amendments. With its pragmatic stance this article aims to address one of the concerns recently expressed about intercultural education, namely that although intercultural theories are suitably incorporated in the latest thinking on communicative competence, there is a lack of evidence-based practice.

Novelty and Habituation: the Driving Forces in Early Stage Learning for Developmental Robotics

Meng, Q., & Lee, M. (2005). Novelty and Habituation: the Driving Forces in Early Stage Learning for Developmental Robotics. Wermter, S., Palm, G., & Elshaw, M. (Eds.), In: Biomimetic Neural Learning for Intelligent Robots: Intelligent Systems, Cognitive Robotics, and Neuroscience. (pp. 315-332). (Lecture Notes in Computer Science). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

Growth of Motor Coordination in Early Robot Learning

M. H. Lee and Q. Meng, Growth of Motor Coordination in Early Robot Learning, IJCAI-05, 2005.

Novelty and Habituation: the Driving Forces in Early Stage Learning for Developmental Robotics

Q. Meng and M. H. Lee, Novelty and Habituation: the Driving Forces in Early Stage Learning for Developmental Robotics, AI-Workshop on NeuroBotics, University of Ulm, Germany. September 2004.