Expression of miR-302 in human embryo derived from in-vitro matured oocyte

Background: The expression of miR-302 over the period of early embryogenesis could possibly regulate the maternal transcript clearance. Zygotic transcription activation is mostly related to maternal messages degradation. Objective: In this study, the effects of in-vitro maturation technique (IVM) on the expression of miR-302 in human embryo produced from immature and mature human oocytes (matured in vitro and in vivo, before sperm exposure) obtained from females under gonadotrophin therapy were evaluated for assisted reproduction. Materials and Methods: Immature oocytes were cultured in vitro. The injection of oocytes-producing polar bodies was given using fresh sperm. Then, the embryo quality score was assessed in the IVM group compared with the control group. In both the groups, embryos with normal morphology were included in the molecular study. Only one blastomere was removed from three-day embryos and then the embryos were frozen. The expression of miR-302 in embryos was measured through quantitative realtime polymerase chain reaction. Results: Our data showed a significant reduction of miR-302 expression in the IVM group vs. the control group (p = 0.02). The embryo quality score showed a significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.01). Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that the IVM process had a negative effect on the expression level of miR-302 in human pre-implantation embryos. Considering the major role of expression miR-302, a reduced potential in miR-302 expression could be related to a decrease in the early embryonic development

Chapter 6 Site investigation

In this chapter we discuss the various phases in site investigation. Phase I investigations are preliminary in nature and are designed to furnish a comprehensive overview of available site information. Phase II investigations consist of site characterization and groundwater monitoring of well installation. Direct methods such as boreholes, piezometers, and geotechnical analysis of soil samples are discussed. While, for indirect methods, we discuss aerial photography, ground penetrating radar, and earth conductivity and resistivity geophysical studies. Furthermore, we discuss issues related to hydrogeochemical investigations. Then, we conclude this chapter with two case studies. The first is related to geoenvironmental investigation at a waste dump site in the United Arab Emirates, while the second is related to the assessment of land salinization in arid lands

Imaging Spectroscopy of salt-affected soils: Model-based integrated method

In the literature, a compound process (a series of processes, together) termed as salinization/alkalinization, is referred to as the most frequently occurring land degradation type in semi and arid regions. These processes are the product of a complex interaction of various factors, which cause changes within a time period of about a decade, generally irreversible, resulting in increase of salt in soils. Excessive salts precipitation in soil profile develops to the formation of salt-affected soils affecting the physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil, and eventually leads to partial or complete loss of soil productivity. It has a large impact in semi-arid regions where the lands are extremely needed for agricultural practices to supply required food and fibre for their rapidly increasing population, while human-induced factors and natural conditions are highly contributing to expansion of saline areas. This conflictive situation is a major concern at local and global scales where enormous efforts had focused on slowing down the salinization and preventing its progression. As a part of these efforts, enormous scientific studies had been carried out to combat salinization. These studies had focused on providing comprehensive understanding of the process, developing methods and algorithms, and providing various application tools. Optical remote sensing, electromagnetic geophysics and solute modelling are the three most used disciplines for detection, prediction and mapping of salt-affected soils