ENTREPREURIAL SELF-EFFICACY AND THE LIKELIHOOD OF BEING SELF-EMPLOYED – A COMPARISON OF URBAN AND RURAL AREAS IN VIETNAM

A large body of entrepreneurship research has focused on the relationship between entrepreneurial self-efficacy and start-up activity. Yet, little is known about how the interplay of these mechanisms is moderated by informal institutional conditions (e.g., social traits in rural and urban regions). Particularly, Vietnam, a country with a socialist-oriented market economy, has emerged as one of the world’s most entrepreneurial countries. This study examines how the effects of individuals’ entrepreneurial self-efficacy on being self-employed are contingent on institutional environments (e.g., rural and urban areas). Statistical analyses of 2013 to 2015 data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) project for Vietnam provide empirical evidences that entrepreneurial self-efficacy is significantly and positively associated with being self-employed, and that this effect is more pronounced for individuals in rural than those in urban areas. Moreover, the findings show that people in rural Vietnam are more willing to be self-employed than their peers in urban areas. This difference is explained by the distinct impact of the informal institutional variable, entrepreneurial self-efficacy (e.g., the knowledge, skills, and experience required to start a new business) that individuals living in rural areas may gain from entrepreneurship promotion and start-up programs supported by the Vietnamese leadership. Our findings have implications for national entrepreneurship programs and financial support for start-up projects in rural areas

HISTONE H3 MODIFICATION OF ISCNT EMBRYOS

This study aimed to determine the acetylation patterns on histone H3K9/18/23 and the dimethylation pattern on histone H3K9 during early embryogenesis among 50 nM Trichostatin A (TSA)-treated iSCNT cat-cow embryos, untreated iSCNT cat-cow embryos (control) and bovine in vitro fertilisation (IVF) embryos, because TSA-treated iSCNT embryos are able to develop into blastocysts. The results show that the acetylation levels of H3K9/18/23 in the TSA-treated iSCNT and bovine IVF embryos were higher than those in the control embryos at almost all of the examined stages (2 h post-fusion / post-insemination (PF/PI), pronuclear (PN), two-cell, four-cell and eight-cell stages). At 6 h PF/PI the acetylation levels on H3K9/23 in the TSA-treated iSCNT and bovine IVF embryos were lower than those in the control, and there was no difference in the acetylation levels of H3K18 among the three groups. The acetylation levels of H3K9/23 increased either in the TSA-treated iSCNT or and bovine IVF embryos increased when those embryos developed to the PN and two-cell stages. The dimethylation level of H3K9 in the TSA-treated iSCNT embryos resembled that of the bovine IVF embryos at all examined stages (2h PF/PI, 6 h PF/PI and PN stages), and these levels were greater than those of the control. This result suggests that treatment of iSCNT embryos with TSA modifies the patterns of histone acetylation and dimethylation at certain lysine residues in a manner that is comparable with that seen in IVF embryos during early embryogenesis

Effects of the timing of electroporation during in vitro maturation on triple gene editing in porcine embryos using CRISPR/Cas9 system

Mosaicism, including alleles comprising both wild-type and mutant, is a serious problem for gene modification by gene editing using electroporation. One-step generation of F0 pigs with completely desired gene modifications saves cost and time, but the major obstacles have been mosaic mutations. We hypothesized that the timing of electroporation prior to in vitro fertilization (IVF) can increase the rates of biallelic mutation for multiple gene knockout as the permeability of mature oocytes is greater than that of zygotes. Hence, we determined whether the timing of electroporation during in vitro maturation (IVM) culture enhances triple gene editing in the resulting blastocysts. Three gRNAs targeting KDR, PDX1, and SALL1 were simultaneously introduced into the oocytes that had been incubated for 40, 42, and 44 h from the start of the IVM culture. Electroporation with three gRNAs at 40 h and 42 h during IVM culture decreased the blastocyst formation rates and did not improve the mutation rates and target number of biallelic mutations in the resulting blastocysts. The blastocyst formation rate, mutation rates, and target numbers in the resulting blastocysts from oocytes treated by electroporation at 44 h of IVM culture were similar to those of control zygotes electroporated at 13 h after the initiation of IVF. In conclusion, multiple gene editing efficiency in the resulting blastocysts was comparable between oocytes electroporated before and after the fertilization, indicating that oocytes with completed maturation time may allow better functioning of materials accepting gene editing application

Effects of chlorogenic acid on porcine oocytes

Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is a quinic acid conjugate of caffeic acid, and a phytochemical found in many fruits and beverages that acts as an antioxidant. The present study investigated the effects of CGA supplementation during in vitro maturation, on in vitro development of porcine oocytes, in order to improve the porcine in vitro production (IVP) system. Oocytes were matured either without (control) or with CGA (10, 50, 100, and 200 µM). Subsequently, the matured oocytes were fertilised, and cultured in vitro for 7 d. The rates of maturation, fertilisation, and blastocyst formation of oocytes matured with 50 µM CGA was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than those of the control oocytes. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is one of the reactive oxygen species and induces DNA damage in porcine oocytes. When oocytes were matured with 1 mM H2O2 to assess the protective effect of CGA, 50 µM CGA supplementation improved the maturation rate and the proportion of DNA-fragmented nuclei in oocytes compared with control oocytes matured without CGA. Moreover, when oocytes were matured with either 50 µM CGA (control) or caffeic acid (10, 50, and 100 µM), the rates of maturation, fertilisation, and the blastocyst formation of oocytes matured with 50 µM CGA were similar to those of oocytes matured with 10 and 50 µM caffeic acid. Our results suggest that CGA has comparable effects to caffeic acid, and in vitro maturation with 50 µM CGA is particularly beneficial to in vitro production of porcine embryos and protects oocytes from DNA damage induced by oxidative stress. Supplementation of CGA to the maturation medium has a potential to improve porcine IVP system

Geotrophic and drift current in the South China Sea, Area IV: Vietnamese waters

The water circulation in area IV was calculated by 2 methods. The circulation for the area where water depth exceeded 600m was calculated by the geostrophic balance method. In shallow water area effect of wind absolutely surpasses geostrophic balance, so wind induced drift current is greater than geostrophic current many times. So, for the whole area (shallow deep) the drift current was calculated by two-dimensional nonlinear shallow water equation based on typical monsoon fields. The results of 2 methods showed common picture of the circulation with divergence and convergence changing by season

Multiple gene editing in porcine embryos using a combination of microinjection, electroporation, and transfection methods

Background and Aim: Mosaicism – the presence of both wild-type and mutant alleles – is a serious problem for zygotic gene modification through gene editing using the Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-Cas9 (CRISPR/ Cas9) system. Different delivery methods, such as microinjection (MI), electroporation (EP), and transfection (TF), can be used to transfer CRISPR/Cas9 components into porcine zygotes. This study aimed to develop a method that combines MI, EP, and TF to improve mutation efficiency mediated through the CRISPR/Cas9 system for a triple-gene knockout in pigs. Materials and Methods: The study consisted of three groups: The MI group with three simultaneously microinjected guide RNAs (gRNAs) targeting α-1,3-galactosyltransferase (GGTA1), cytidine 32 monophosphate-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase (CMAH), and β-1,4-N-acetyl-galactosaminyltransferase 2 (B4GALNT2); the MI + EP group with two gRNAs targeting GGTA1 and B4GALNT2 genes delivered into zygotes through MI, followed by EP of gRNA targeting the CMAH 1 h later; and the MI + EP + TF group with MI of gRNA targeting GGTA1 gene into zygotes, followed by EP of gRNA targeting CMAH 1 h later, and then TF of gRNA targeting the B4GALNT2 gene into zona-free zygotes after another hour. Results: The rate of blastocysts carrying mutations in one or two gene(s) was significantly higher in the MI + EP + TF group than in the MI group. However, the blastocyst formation rate of zygotes in the MI + EP + TF group was lower than that of the zygotes in the other treatment groups. Conclusion: The combination of CRISPR/Cas9 delivery methods may improve the mutation efficiency of triple-gene edited porcine blastocysts

Triple gene editing in porcine embryos using electroporation alone or in combination with microinjection

Background and Aim: We previously developed the gene-editing by electroporation (EP) of Cas9 protein method, in which the CRISPR/Cas9 system was introduced into porcine in vitro fertilized (IVF) zygotes through EP to disrupt a target gene. This method should be further developed, and a combination of EP and MI methods should be evaluated in pigs. This study aimed to determine that a combination of microinjection (MI) and EP of CRISPR/Cas9 system could increase the rates of biallelic mutation for triple-gene knockout in porcine blastocysts. We targeted the pancreatic and duodenal homeobox1 (PDX1) gene using cytoplasmic MI 1 h before or after EP, which was used to edit alpha-1,3-galactosyltransferase (GGTA1) and cytidine 32 monophosphate-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase (CMAH) genes in porcine zygotes. Materials and Methods: We introduced guide RNAs targeting PDX1, GGTA1, and CMAH with the Cas9 protein into IVF zygotes (one-cell stage) through EP 10 h after the start of IVF (IVF; EP group) or in combination with MI (1 h before, MI-EP group, or after EP treatment EP-MI group) and evaluated the blastocyst formation rate and efficiency of target mutations in the resulting blastocysts. Results: Our results revealed a significant reduction in the rate of blastocyst formation in the two groups that underwent MI before and after EP (MI-EP and EP-MI group), compared with that in the groups treated with EP alone (EP group) (p=0.0224 and p<0.0001, respectively) and control (p=0.0029 and p<0.0001, respectively). There was no significant difference in the total mutation rates among the treatment groups in the resulting blastocysts. As an only positive effect of additional MI treatment, the rate of blastocysts carrying biallelic mutations in at least one target gene was higher in the MI-EP group than in the EP group. However, there was no difference in the rates of embryos carrying biallelic mutations in more than 2 target genes. Conclusion: These results indicate that although a combination of MI and EP does not improve the mutation efficiency or biallelic mutation for triple-gene knockout, MI treatment before EP is better to reduce mortality in porcine zygotic gene editing through a combination of MI and EP

Source identification for mobile devices, based on wavelet transforms combined with sensor imperfections

One of the most relevant applications of digital image forensics is to accurately identify the device used for taking a given set of images, a problem called source identification. This paper studies recent developments in the field and proposes the mixture of two techniques (Sensor Imperfections and Wavelet Transforms) to get better source identification of images generated with mobile devices. Our results show that Sensor Imperfections and Wavelet Transforms can jointly serve as good forensic features to help trace the source camera of images produced by mobile phones. Furthermore, the model proposed here can also determine with high precision both the brand and model of the device

EFFECT OF CGA ON ELECTROPLATED EMBRYOS

Electroporation is the technique of choice to introduce an exogenous gene into embryos for transgenic animal production. Although this technique is practical and effective, embryonic damage caused by electroporation treatment remains a major problem. This study was conducted to evaluate the optimal culture system for electroporation-treated porcine embryos by supplementation of chlorogenic acid (CGA), a potent antioxidant, during in vitro oocyte maturation. The oocytes were treated with various concentrations of CGA (0, 10, 50, and 100 µM/L) through the duration of maturation for 44 h. The treated oocytes were then fertilized, electroporated at 30 V/mm with five 1-msec unipolar pulses, and subsequently cultured in vitro until development into the blastocyst stage. Without electroporation, the treatment with 50 µM/L CGA had useful effects on the maturation rate of oocytes, the total cell number, and the apoptotic nucleus indices of blastocysts. When the oocytes were electroporated after in vitro fertilization, the treatment with 50 μM CGA supplementation significantly improved the rate of oocytes that developed into blastocysts and reduced the apoptotic nucleus indices (4.7% and 7.6, respectively) compared with those of the untreated group (1.4% and 13.0, respectively). These results suggested that supplementation with 50 μM CGA during maturation improves porcine embryonic development and quality of electroporation-treated embryos

Effects of dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate and human chorionic gonadotropin on the formation of antral follicle-like structures by bovine cumulus—oocyte complexes

This study evaluated the effect of dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophos-phate (dbcAMP) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) on the formation of antral follicle-like structures (AFLSs) and on the meiotic status of bovine cumulus– oocyte complexes (COCs) embedded in collagen gel. Supplementation with dbcAMP increased the mean diameter of AFLSs during days 4–8 of culture compared with that of control COCs, irrespective of the concentration of dbcAMP used (0.5–2.0 mM). When the embedded COCs were cultured for 8 days with hCG, the diameters of AFLSs after 4 days of culture tended to be lower in the supplemented COCs than in the control COCs without hCG, irrespective of the concentration used (1–100 IU/mL). Supplementation with 10 IU/mL hCG increased the concentrations of anti-Müllerian hormone but not progesterone and oestradiol in the culture medium after 4 days of culture. Almost all oocytes collected from AFLSs had resumed meiosis by the end of culture, irrespective of supplementation of dbcAMP and hCG. These results indicate that although dbcAMP had a positive effect on AFLS formation and development, supplementation with hCG was detrimental. Moreover, hCG supplementation did not influence the luteinisation of granulosa cells in the AFLS for 4 days after the start of culture