The effect of cadmium on the bovine in vitro oocyte maturation and early embryo development

Common pollutants such as heavy metals and cadmium is among those with high environmental concerns. In vivo studies had shown that cadmium (Cd) causes oocyte degeneration and embryo mortality, and lowers pregnancy rates in mammals. However, there is limited information available about direct effects of Cd on oocyte maturation and/or embryo development. This study was aimed to investigate if Cd has any effect on the oocyte maturation and/or embryo development in vitro. Bovine COCs were collected from the slaughter house and cultured for 24 h in serum-free media only (Controls) or supplemented with 0.2, 2.0 and 20.0 μM CdCl2. At 24 h cumulus cell expansion was assessed in all COCs. COCs were either denuded and stained for determination of nuclear maturation or fertilized for assessment of subsequent embryo development. Cd at the lowest concentration (0.2 μM) did not affect any of the parameters studied. However, at higher concentrations (2.0 and 20.0 μM) it significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the percentage of fully-expanded COCs and significantly (P < 0.05) increased the percentage of partially and/or non-expanded COCs compared to controls and 0.2 μM. Cadmium at higher concentrations (2.0 and 20.0 μM) also significantly (P < 0.01) reduced the percentage of oocytes reaching metaphase II stage compared to controls and 0.2 μM. Post-fertilization cleavage rate in presumptive zygotes and blastocyst development significantly (P < 0.05) reduced 0.2, 2.0 and 20.0 μM CdCl2 compared to the controls (0.0 μM). In conclusion, these results suggest that Cd had direct detrimental effects on the bovine oocyte maturation and its developmental competence

Development of an annoyance model based upon elementary auditory sensations for steady-state aircraft interior noise containing tonal components

The purpose of this investigation was to develop a noise annoyance model, superior to those already in use, for evaluating passenger response to sounds containing tonal components which may be heard within current and future commercial aircraft. The sound spectra investigated ranged from those being experienced by passengers on board turbofan powered aircraft now in service to those cabin noise spectra passengers may experience within advanced propeller-driven aircraft of the future. A total of 240 sounds were tested in this experiment. Sixty-six of these 240 sounds were steady state, while the other 174 varied temporally due to tonal beating. Here, the entire experiment is described, but the analysis is limited to those responses elicited by the 66 steady-state sounds

Livestock Market Integration and Price Discovery: Case of Mali

Replaced with revised version of paper 02/22/11.cointegration, structural breaks, market integration, Agricultural and Food Policy, Demand and Price Analysis, International Development, Livestock Production/Industries,

Effect of Adrenocortical Extract and Relatively Small Doses of Sesame Oil on the Oxygen Consumption of Goldfish

Author Institution: Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, 1

A Volumeter for Respiration of Aquatic Animals

Author Institution: Department of Physiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus 1

Oxygen Consumption of Adrenalectomized and Renal Damaged Frogs

Author Institution: Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus 1

Temporal Variability of Urinary Phthalate Metabolite Levels in Men of Reproductive Age

Phthalates are a family of multifunctional chemicals widely used in personal care and other consumer products. The ubiquitous use of phthalates results in human exposure through multiple sources and routes, including dietary ingestion, dermal absorption, inhalation, and parenteral exposure from medical devices containing phthalates. We explored the temporal variability over 3 months in urinary phthalate metabolite levels among 11 men who collected up to nine urine samples each during this time period. Eight phthalate metabolites were measured by solid-phase extraction–high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Statistical analyses were performed to determine the between- and within-subject variance apportionment, and the sensitivity and specificity of a single urine sample to classify a subject’s 3-month average exposure. Five of the eight phthalates were frequently detected. Monoethyl phthalate (MEP) was detected in 100% of samples; monobutyl phthalate, monobenzyl phthalate, mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP), and monomethyl phthalate were detected in > 90% of samples. Although we found both substantial day-to-day and month-to-month variability in each individual’s urinary phthalate metabolite levels, a single urine sample was moderately predictive of each subject’s exposure over 3 months. The sensitivities ranged from 0.56 to 0.74. Both the degree of between- and within-subject variance and the predictive ability of a single urine sample differed among phthalate metabolites. In particular, a single urine sample was most predictive for MEP and least predictive for MEHP. These results suggest that the most efficient exposure assessment strategy for a particular study may depend on the phthalates of interest

Supercomplex-Associated Cox26 Protein Binds to Cytochrome \u3cem\u3ec\u3c/em\u3e Oxidase

Here we identified a hydrophobic 6.4 kDa protein, Cox26, as a novel component of yeast mitochondrial supercomplex comprising respiratory complexes III and IV. Multi-dimensional native and denaturing electrophoretic techniques were used to identify proteins interacting with Cox26. The majority of the Cox26 protein was found non-covalently bound to the complex IV moiety of the III–IV supercomplexes. A population of Cox26 was observed to exist in a disulfide bond partnership with the Cox2 subunit of complex IV. No pronounced growth phenotype for Cox26 deficiency was observed, indicating that Cox26 may not play a critical role in the COX enzymology, and we speculate that Cox26 may serve to regulate or support the Cox2 protein. Respiratory supercomplexes are assembled in the absence of the Cox26 protein, however their pattern slightly differs to the wild type III–IV supercomplex appearance. The catalytic activities of complexes III and IV were observed to be normal and respiration was comparable to wild type as long as cells were cultivated under normal growth conditions. Stress conditions, such as elevated temperatures resulted in mild decrease of respiration in non-fermentative media when the Cox26 protein was absent