Effect of a single dose of ibuprofen lysinate before embryo transfer on pregnancy rates in cows

Embryo implantation is a critical step in both cows and humans. The use of ibuprofen lysinate to enhance implantation has been investigated in cattle with the specific aim of improving pregnancy rates after embryo transfer. In this study, heifers (n = 100) were assigned randomly to one of two groups: one group was treated i.m. with 5 mg ibuprofen lysinate kg(-1) body weight 1 h before embryo transfer and a control group received vehicle only. A single embryo was transferred into each recipient cow. There was a significant difference in the number of pregnancies after embryo transfer between cows in the treated (41 of 50; 82%) and control (28 of 50; 56%) groups (P < 0.05). These data indicate that ibuprofen lysinate may be an effective adjunctive treatment for assisted reproduction in cattle. Further studies are needed to clarify whether this effect is associated with the reduction of cyclooxygenase enzyme isoforms during embryo transfer or whether other mechanisms are involved.     

Numerical Analysis of Convective Instabilities in a Transient Short-Hot-Wire Setup for Measurement of Liquid Thermal Conductivity

Numerical simulation has been used to investigate the effects of natural convection on measurements of the thermal conductivity of fluids by transient hot-wire methods. Comparison of the numerical data with the experimental results obtained with a custom-built setup exploiting a short-wire geometry allows fixing an operationally useful time scale, where convective effects can be safely neglected.     

Influence of the annealing and defects on the VHCF behavior of an SLM AlSi10Mg alloy

In the paper, the influence of the annealing temperature on the Very High Cycle Fatigue (VHCF) of AlSi10Mg specimens produced through selective laser melting (SLM) is experimentally assessed. VHCF tests at 20 kHz are carried out on Gaussian specimens subjected to a heat treatment suggested by the system supplier (heating for 2 hours to 320°C and air cooling) and to a heat treatment proposed by the authors (heating for 2 hours to 244°C and air cooling). The defects originating failure and the conditional P‐S‐N curves are compared. Experimental results show that an annealing temperature of 320 ° C induces the spheroidization of the Si network, which enhances the ductility but has a negative effect on the VHCF response. On the contrary, by reducing the heating temperature to 244 ° C , the original as‐built microstructure is not altered and the minimization of the residual stresses permits to enhance the VHCF response.     

Exploring Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin 9 (PCSK9) Autoproteolysis Process by Molecular Simulations: Hints for Drug Design

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9 (PCSK9) is a notable target for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia because it regulates the population of the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) on liver cells. The PCSK9 zymogen is a serine protease that spontaneously undergoes a double self-cleavage step. Available X-ray structures depict the PCSK9 mature state, but the atomic details of the zymogen state of the enzyme are still unknown. Additionally, why the protease activity of PCSK9 is blocked after the second autoprocessing step remains unclear, as this deviates from other members of the PCSK family. By performing constant-pH molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we investigated the protonation state of the catalytic triad of PCSK9 and found that it strongly influences the catalytic properties of the enzyme. Moreover, we determined the final step of the maturation process by classical and steered MD simulations. This study could facilitate the identification of ligands capable of interfering with the PCSK9 maturation process.     

Restructuring Metal–Organic Frameworks to Nanoscale Bismuth Electrocatalysts for Highly Active and Selective CO2 Reduction to Formate

Recently, a large number of nanostructured metal‐containing materials have been developed for the electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (eCO₂RR). However, it remains a challenge to achieve high activity and selectivity with respect to the metal load due to the limited concentration of surface metal atoms. Here, it is reported that the bismuth‐based metal–organic framework Bi(1,3,5‐tris(4‐carboxyphenyl)benzene), herein denoted Bi(btb), works as a precatalyst and undergoes a structural rearrangement at reducing potentials to form highly active and selective catalytic Bi‐based nanoparticles dispersed in a porous organic matrix. The structural change is investigated by electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, total scattering, and spectroscopic techniques. Due to the periodic arrangement of Bi cations in highly porous Bi(btb), the in situ formed Bi nanoparticles are well‐dispersed and hence highly exposed for surface catalytic reactions. As a result, high selectivity over a broad potential range in the eCO₂RR toward formate production with a Faradaic efficiency up to 95(3)% is achieved. Moreover, a large current density with respect to the Bi load, i.e., a mass activity, up to 261(13) A g^?1 is achieved, thereby outperforming most other nanostructured Bi materials.     

The Distribution of GPR17-Expressing Cells Correlates with White Matter Inflammation Status in Brain Tissues of Multiple Sclerosis Patients

In multiple sclerosis (MS), oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) are recruited to the site of injury to remyelinate damaged axons; however, in patients this process is often ineffective due to defects in OPC maturation. The membrane receptor GPR17 timely regulates the early stages of OPC differentiation; however, after reaching its highest levels in immature oligodendrocytes, it has to be downregulated to allow terminal maturation. Since, in several animal models of disease GPR17 is upregulated, the aim of this work was to characterize GPR17 alterations in MS patients. We developed immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence procedures for the detection of GPR17 in human tissues and stained post-mortem MS brain lesions from patients with secondary progressive MS and control subjects. The inflammatory activity in each lesion was evaluated by immunohistochemistry for the myelin protein MOG and the HLA antigen to classify them as active, chronic inactive or chronic active. Hence, we assessed the distribution of GPR17-positive cells in these lesions compared to normal appearing white matter (NAWM) and white matter (WM) of control subjects. Our data have shown a marked increase of GPR17-expressing oligodendroglial cells accumulating at NAWM, in which moderate inflammation was also found. Furthermore, we identified two distinct subpopulations of GPR17-expressing oligodendroglial cells, characterized by either ramified or rounded morphology, that differently populate the WM of healthy controls and MS patients. We concluded that the coordinated presence of GPR17 in OPCs at the lesion sites and inflamed NAWM areas suggests that GPR17 could be exploited to support endogenous remyelination through advanced pharmacological approaches.     

Hypergravity effects on myoblast proliferation and differentiation

This study aimed at the investigation of behavior of myoblasts in conditions of altered gravity. C2C12 cells underwent stimulations by different hypergravity intensities (2 h at 5 g, 10 g, and 20 g) in the Large Diameter Centrifuge of the European Space Agency (ESA), highlighting positive effects on both proliferation and differentiation.     

Looking at the viewer: analysing facial activity to detect personal highlights of multimedia contents

This paper presents an approach to detect personal highlights in videos based on the analysis of facial activities of the viewer. Our facial activity analysis was based on the motion vectors tracked on twelve key points in the human face. In our approach, the magnitude of the motion vectors represented a degree of a viewer’s affective reaction to video contents. We examined 80 facial activity videos recorded for ten participants, each watching eight video clips in various genres. The experimental results suggest that useful motion vectors to detect personal highlights varied significantly across viewers. However, it was suggested that the activity in the upper part of face tended to be more indicative of personal highlights than the activity in the lower part.