Delay in Cleavage of Porcine Embryos after Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) Shows Poorer Embryonic Development

In pigs, the embryonic developmental ability after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is inferior to that resulting from in vitro fertilization (IVF). We evaluated the timing of cell division up to blastocyst formation on embryonic development after ICSI using either whole sperm (w-ICSI) or the sperm head alone (h-ICSI) and IVF as a control. At 10 h after ICSI or IVF, we selected only zygotes, and each of the zygotes/embryos was evaluated for cleavage every 24 h until 168 h. We then observed a delay in the 1st and 2nd cleavages of h-ICSI embryos and also in blastocoele formation by w-ICSI embryos in comparison with IVF embryos. The rate of blastocyst formation and the quality of blastocysts in both ICSI groups were inferior to those in the IVF group. In conclusion, the delay in cleavage of porcine ICSI embryos shows poorer embryonic development.     

Saving Genetic Resources of Native Pigs in Occidental and Oriental Countries — Practical Examples of the Characterization and Utilization of Native Pigs in Hungary and Laos

Worldwide, only a few “fatty” pig breeds exist with different and/or regional utilization. Using the Hungarian Mangalica, which almost went extinct in Europe and the Lao Moo Lat pig, which still has a large population in South-East Asia as exemples, we wanted to demonstrate that indigenous (fatty) pig breeds may represent both national value and tremendous economic potential. Since these less prolific and less productive breeds cannot contribute to mass production, new market roles and methods should be established for them in the premium segment of pork trading. Thus their preservation and propagation needs the comprehensive collaboration of commercial, governmental actors and researchers. Briefly summarizing the history, we report the current results of reproductive physiology research. The commercial renaissance of Mangalica pigs is indebted to the enthusiastic efforts of basic scientists, pig breeding experts and dedicated Mangalica producers. Scientific achievements were applied to practical breeding and production of delicious pork and processed products, which ultimately made the economic success in the Mangalica sector possible. Both, research on and utilization of endangered (pig) breeds maintain not only breed diversities, but also may improve the livelihood of farmers worldwide.     

Chromospheric anemone jets as evidence of ubiquitous reconnection

The heating of the solar chromosphere and corona is a long-standing puzzle in solar physics. Hinode observations show the ubiquitous presence of chromospheric anemone jets outside sunspots in active regions. They are typically 3 to 7 arc seconds = 2000 to 5000 kilometers long and 0.2 to 0.4 arc second = 150 to 300 kilometers wide, and their velocity is 10 to 20 kilometers per second. These small jets have an inverted Y-shape, similar to the shape of x-ray anemone jets in the corona. These features imply that magnetic reconnection similar to that in the corona is occurring at a much smaller spatial scale throughout the chromosphere and suggest that the heating of the solar chromosphere and corona may be related to small-scale ubiquitous reconnection.     

Effects of fatty acid-free bovine serum albumin and fetal calf serum supplementing repair cultures on pre- and post-warm viability of biopsied bovine embryos produced in vitro

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of fatty acid-free bovine serum albumin (BSA) or fetal calf serum (FCS) on the re-expansion of biopsied blastocysts and post-warm viability of subsequently vitrified embryos. Firstly, blastocysts produced in vitro were biopsied at Day 7 and cultured to allow repair in TCM199 with 0.3% BSA or 5% FCS for 24 h. The re-expansion rates and mean total numbers of cells of the re-expanded embryos after the repair culture with BSA were almost the same as that with FCS. Secondly, after biopsied embryos were similarly cultured for repair with BSA or FCS, re-expanded embryos were selected for vitrification. After warming and exposure to 0.5 M sucrose with 20% FCS in mPBS, the embryos were cultured in TCM199 with 5% FCS for 24 h. The re-expansion rate and mean total number of cells in re-expanded blastocysts in the BSA treatment group (97.4 +/- 2.9% and 106 +/- 42) was significantly higher than that in the FCS treatment group (51.6 +/- 9.1% and 61 +/- 38), respectively (P<0.05 and P<0.01). In conclusion, both FCS and BSA supplementation can be useful for repairing cultures of bovine biopsied blastocysts; but, compared with BSA supplementation, FCS supplementation during repair culture reduces the post-warm viability of biopsied and subsequently vitrified embryos.     

Recovery and characterization of sardine oil extracted by pH adjustment

A new oil extraction method involving pH adjustment was developed and compared with the traditional heat extraction method. Sardine oil was obtained by adjusting the pH to the isoelectric point (pI) of sardine muscle (pH 5.5) using HCl or food-grade organic acids [with/without calcium (Ca)] followed by centrifugation. Oil extracted with citric acid plus Ca showed the best quality, along with good recovery, the lowest haze value, and the highest n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid content. All oils extracted by pH adjustment exhibited high stability against oxidation supported by low conjugated dienes and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance level with fewer impurities compared to the heat process. There was a significant beneficial effect of Ca addition prior to pH adjustment in terms of lipid oxidation stability and color of the final products. The pH adjustment method is a novel process for oil extraction and a promising method that can be utilized for high-oil pelagic species such as Pacific sardines.     

Plasticization of cellulose derivatives by reactive plasticizers II: characterization of plasticized cellulose acetates and their biodegradability

A plasticization method for cellulose acetates (CAs) has been developed that is based on the reaction with dibasic acid anhydrides and monoepoxides during the melting processing. As a continuation of the discussion in the previous report, additional evidence is presented for the role of grafting oligoesters onto cellulose acetates to prevent the bleeding of homo-oligoesters from the inside of molded articles to their surface. Based on these results, a method for enhancing the amount of grafting has been pursued by varying the combination of dibasic acid anhydrides and monoepoxides. The resulting reactive meltprocessing method allows preparation of biodegradable cellulosic plastics using practical process conditions. Higher biodegradability has been found for the oligoester-grafted CAs than for the unmodified parent CAs.     

Application of Polished‐Graded Wheat Grains for Sourdough Bread

Flours obtained by a specific polishing process were used to prepare sourdough and bread. Three fractions designated C‐1 (100–90%), C‐5 (60–50%), and C‐8 (30–0%) were studied. The pH, total titratable acidity levels, and buffering capacity of sourdoughs made from polished flours were significantly different from those of the control sourdough with No. 1 Canada Western Red Spring (CW), and they provided sourdough breads with better qualities than that of CW. The growth of lactic acid bacteria and yeast in polished flour sourdoughs were significantly accelerated during fermentation over that in CW sourdough. Higher maturation of polished flour sourdoughs softened the hardness of mixed dough. The intricate network of honeycomb structure gluten and uneven surface of starch granules were distinctly observed in SEM images. Substitutions of C‐5 or C‐8 sourdoughs for CW significantly increased the loaf volume and softened breadcrumbs more than CW sourdough. Flour qualities of polished flours such as suitable acidity and good buffering capacity caused by the bran fraction were effective for better growth and longer life of yeast in the dough during fermentation. Therefore, application of polished flours in sourdough bread would improve rheological properties of dough and bread as compared with CW sourdough.     

Starch Characteristics of the Rice Mutant du2‐2 Taichung 65 Highly Affected by Environmental Temperatures During Seed Development

The effects of environmental temperature (21 vs. 28°C) during rice seed development on the starch characteristics (apparent amylose content, amylopectin chain length distribution, and gelatinization properties) of nonwaxy Taichung 65 (T65), waxy Taichung (T65wx), du2‐2 mutated low‐amylose strain Taichung (76‐3/T65), and Koshihikari were studied. Amylose contents increased with decreasing environmental temperatures. Analysis of the amylopectin chain length distribution showed that the relative amounts of long chains with degree of polymerization (DP) > 25 in all starches decreased if maturation occurred at 21°C. Gelatinization onset, peak, and conclusion temperatures and enthalpies decreased with decreasing environmental temperatures. Of all starches studied, the du2‐2 mutated low‐amylose Taichung (76‐3/T65) was most affected by maturation temperatures. These results indicate that the du2‐2 mutated low‐amylose Taichung (76‐3/T65) may be a useful strain in understanding biochemical and genetic starch biosynthesis response to slight changes in temperature.