The importance of cytoplasmic strings during early human embryonic development

Objectives: During human in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatments, embryologists attempt to select the most viable embryos for embryo transfer (ET). Previously, embryos were evaluated based on light microscopic morphological parameters. However, this is currently accomplished by morphokinetic analysis of time-lapse recordings. This technique provides us the opportunity to observe cytoplasmic strings at the blastocyst stage. The aim of this work was to examine the relationship between the presence of cytoplasmic strings (CS) and the embryo viability in human in vitro fertilised embryos.Study design: Herein, we present an evaluation of the morphokinetic data on the development of embryos obtained during IVF treatments performed at the Division of Assisted Reproduction between December 2020 and March 2021. The dynamics of embryo development, embryo morphology, and morphokinetic scores generated by a time-lapse system were compared between the presence of cytoplasmic strings (CS+) and their absence (CS-) at the blastocyst stage.Results: The development of 208 embryos from 78 patients was examined. Moreover, 81.2% of the embryos had CS in the blastocyst stage; 77% of CS existed in embryos created by conventional IVF, while 86% of CS existed in embryos fertilised by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) (p = 0.08). A greater number of CS+ embryos developed into a higher quality blastocyst (52.1% vs. 20.5%, p = 0.02). The morphokinetic score values characterising the development of embryos, such as Known Implantation Data Score (KIDScore) and Intelligent Data Analysis (iDAScore), were higher in CS+ groups (KID: 6.1 ± 2.1 vs. 4.7 ± 2.07; iDA: 8.0 ± 1.9 vs. 6.8 ± 2.3, p < 0.01). The dynamics of the early embryo development were similar between the two groups; however, CS+ embryos reached the blastocyst stage significantly earlier (tB: 103.9 h vs. tB: 107.6 h; p = 0.001).Conclusion: Based on our results, the number of embryos with cytoplasmic strings was higher than that without cytoplasmic strings, and its presence is not related to the fertilisation method. These embryos reached the blastocyst stage earlier, and their morphokinetic (KIDScore and iDAScore) parameters were better. All these results suggest that the presence of CS indicates higher embryo viability. The examination of this feature may help us make decisions about the embryos with higher implantation potential

Integrating multiple criteria decision analysis in participatory forest planning

Forest planning in a participatory context often involves multiple stakeholders with conflicting interests. A promising approach for handling these complex situations is to integrate participatory planning and multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA). The objective of this paper is to analyze strengths and weaknesses of such an integrated approach, focusing on how the use of MCDA has influenced the participatory process. The paper outlines a model for a participatory MCDA process with five steps: stakeholder analysis, structuring of the decision problem, generation of alternatives, elicitation of preferences, and ranking of alternatives. This model was applied in a case study of a planning process for the urban forest in Lycksele, Sweden. In interviews with stakeholders, criteria for four different social groups were identified. Stakeholders also identified specific areas important to them and explained what activities the areas were used for and the forest management they wished for there. Existing forest data were combined with information from interviews to create a map in which the urban forest was divided into zones of different management classes. Three alternative strategic forest plans were produced based on the zonal map. The stakeholders stated their preferences individually by the Analytic Hierarchy Process in inquiry forms and a ranking of alternatives and consistency ratios were determined for each stakeholder. Rankings of alternatives were aggregated; first, for each social group using the arithmetic mean, and then an overall aggregated ranking was calculated from the group rankings using the weighted arithmetic mean. The participatory MCDA process in Lycksele is assessed against five social goals: incorporating public values into decisions, improving the substantive quality of decisions, resolving conflict among competing interests, building trust in institutions, and educating and informing the public. The results and assessment of the case study support the integration of participatory planning and MCDA as a viable option for handling complex forest-management situations. Key issues related to the MCDA methodology that need to be explored further were identified: 1) The handling of place-specific criteria, 2) development of alternatives, 3) the aggregation of individual preferences into a common preference, and 4) application and evaluation of the integrated approach in real case studies

The IPBES Conceptual Framework - connecting nature and people

The first public product of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is its Conceptual Framework. This conceptual and analytical tool, presented here in detail, will underpin all IPBES functions and provide structure and comparability to the syntheses that IPBES will produce at different spatial scales, on different themes, and in different regions. Salient innovative aspects of the IPBES Conceptual Framework are its transparent and participatory construction process and its explicit consideration of diverse scientific disciplines, stakeholders, and knowledge systems, including indigenous and local knowledge. Because the focus on co-construction of integrative knowledge is shared by an increasing number of initiatives worldwide, this framework should be useful beyond IPBES, for the wider research and knowledge-policy communities working on the links between nature and people, such as natural, social and engineering scientists, policy-makers at different levels, and decision-makers in different sectors of society

Aproximación minimalista a las categorías funcionales del ámbito oracional: la Derivación por Fase

PhD DissertationLa tesis se ubica entre los estudios teóricos del campo lingüístico generativo siguiendo las pautas proporcionadas por sucesivos trabajos de Chomsky cuya misión ha sido delinear un programa de perspectiva minimalista en la concepción de la Facultad del Lenguaje. Procuramos mostrar, en primer lugar, que los procesos tratados se someten plenamente al Principio de Economía, por lo que se da un paso firme en la reducción de la complejidad computacional. En segundo lugar, dados los mecanismos de la teoría, fundamentalmente los que se aplican en la Derivación por Fase (Chomsky, 1999), se quiere consolidar la definición de estos mecanismos del Sistema Computacional construyendo un aparato único y simple. Y, en tercer lugar, tratamos de hacer una aportación, aunque sólo sea parcial, en relación con un problema candente, como es el diseño de los instrumentos utilizados en la construcción de oraciones: la necesidad de una descripción completa de la arquitectura interna de rasgos de los elementos que intervienen en una derivación, principalmente de aquellos que son los responsables de la buena formación de las oraciones: los elementos funcionales. El centro de nuestro interés es definir la forma concreta de satisfacer las necesidades de cotejo, con especial interés en los llamados centrales.Llegamos a la conclusión de que, en ciertos casos, un elemento funcional delegado (proxy) puede prestarse también para la función de alojar operadores, dependiendo de cada lengua. Para la lexicalización de un sintagma delegado es necesario que se cumplan dos condiciones simultáneas. Por un lado, la Condición Necesaria, que exige la presencia de un operador activo en el núcleo y, por otro, la Condición Satisfactoria, que requiere el movimiento explícito del verbo para su adjunción al núcleo de la proyección delegada

Aproximación minimalista a las categorías funcionales del ámbito oracional : la derivación por fase

La tesis se ubica entre los estudios teóricos del campo lingüístico generativo siguiendo las pautas proporcionadas por sucesivos trabajos de Chomsky cuya misión ha sido delinear un programa de perspectiva minimalista en la concepción de la Facultad del Lenguaje. Procuramos mostrar, en primer lugar, que los procesos tratados se someten plenamente al Principio de Economía, por lo que se da un paso firme en la reducción de la complejidad computacional. En segundo lugar, dados los mecanismos de la teoría, fundamentalmente los que se aplican en la Derivación por Fase (Chomsky, 1999), se quiere consolidar la definición de estos mecanismos del Sistema Computacional construyendo un aparato único y simple. Y, en tercer lugar, tratamos de hacer una aportación, aunque sólo sea parcial, en relación con un problema candente, como es el diseño de los instrumentos utilizados en la construcción de oraciones: la necesidad de una descripción completa de la arquitectura interna de rasgos de los elementos que intervienen en una derivación, principalmente de aquellos que son los responsables de la buena formación de las oraciones: los elementos funcionales. El centro de nuestro interés es definir la forma concreta de satisfacer las necesidades de cotejo, con especial interés en los llamados centrales.Llegamos a la conclusión de que, en ciertos casos, un elemento funcional delegado (proxy) puede prestarse también para la función de alojar operadores, dependiendo de cada lengua. Para la lexicalización de un sintagma delegado es necesario que se cumplan dos condiciones simultáneas. Por un lado, la Condición Necesaria, que exige la presencia de un operador activo en el núcleo y, por otro, la Condición Satisfactoria, que requiere el movimiento explícito del verbo para su adjunción al núcleo de la proyección delegada

Multilingualism: New perspectives on syntactic development

The chapter presents results of a series of studies which provide strong support against simplified accounts of language transfer from either first language (L1) or any previous language. These studies help us better understand language acquisition, and most particularly the nature of the hypotheses language learners impose when learning a new target language. Language development studies focusing on the acquisition of relative clauses in English presented in this chapter seek to elucidate language development by contemplating the development of language-specific properties of the complementizer phrase (CP). The chapter introduces three influential current models of multilingual acquisition: the second-language (L2) status factor; the typological primacy model; and the cumulative enhancement model (CEM) for language acquisition. L1 acquisition studies have provided important insights into how the mind and language work. The chapter also explores L3 acquisition, the acquisition process of any multilingual learner whether of a third language or a fourth language.Energie-Umweltmanagemen

Further evidence in support of the Cumulative-Enhancement Model: CP structure development

The Cumulative Enhancement Model proposed by Flynn et al. (2004) seeks to provide an explanatory model for multiple language acquisition. Results reported in this paper present further evidence in support of this model. Results of an elicited imitation task comparing the production of relative clauses by learners of German L1 and Hungarian L1/German L2 acquiring L2 and L3 English respectively at three levels of proficiency indicate, on the one hand, an increased facilitation in subsequent acquisition with each new language learned and, on the other hand, development of syntactic knowledge in L3 acquisition that cannot be explained in terms of an astructural transfer from the last language learned.Energie-Umweltmanagemen