Metabolite supplementation during in vitro embryo development improves blastocyst quality, however, our understanding of the incorporation of metabolites during in vitro maturation (IVM) is limited. Two important metabolites, follistatin and choline, have beneficial impacts during in vitro culture; however, effects of supplementation during IVM are unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate combining choline and follistatin during IVM on bovine oocytes and subsequent early embryonic development. We hypothesized that supplementation of choline with follistatin would synergistically improve oocyte quality and subsequent early embryonic development. Small follicles were aspirated from slaughterhouse ovaries to obtain cumulus oocyte complexes for IVM with choline (0, 1.3 or 1.8 mM) and follistatin (0 or 10 ng/mL) supplementation in a 3 × 2 design. A subset of oocytes underwent transcriptomic analysis, the remaining oocytes were used for IVF and in vitro culture (IVC). Transcript abundance of CEPT1 tended to be reduced in oocytes supplemented with 1.8 mM choline and follistatin compared to control oocytes (P = 0.07). Combination of follistatin with 1.8 mM choline supplementation during maturation, tended (P = 0.08) to reduce CPEB4 in oocytes. In the blastocysts, HDCA8, NANOG, SAV1 and SOX2 were increased with choline 1.8 mM supplementation without follistatin (P < 0.05), while HDCA8 and SOX2 were increased when follistatin was incorporated (P < 0.05). The combination of choline and follistatin during oocyte maturation may provide a beneficial impact on early embryonic development. Further research is warranted to investigate the interaction between these two metabolites during early embryonic development and long-term influence on fetal development.

We tested how the bilingual processing system adapts to high attentional processing loads, using a dual selective attention task. We also tested how this adaptation changes with maturation, by comparing the performance of monolingual and bilingual children and adults. Results showed equivalent performance on aspects of the dual attention task (auditory comprehension and visual task accuracy) for monolinguals and bilinguals in both age groups. Reaction times from the visual task however revealed differences between groups, with bilingual children's responses significantly slower relative to monolingual children under high processing load, but the bilingual adults' performance equivalent to their monolingual counterparts. The results suggest that the adaptation of bilingual selective attention changes with maturation: high attentional processing demands lead to economising of the available attentional capacity and task prioritisation in children, but these effects recede as the attentional system fully matures, resulting in consistent optimal performance across elements of multiple tasks in bilinguals.

The percentage of expandable layers in illite/smectite (I/S) mixed-layer clay decreases with increasing temperature and depth in a section through marine Cretaceous shales in the Champlin 1 Hartley Federal well in the Powder River basin, Wyoming. This systematic change in I/S expandability is evidence that low-expandable I/S in Cretaceous shales of the northern Rocky Mountain area reflects, at least in part, thermal alteration during burial diagenesis. In eastern Montana and western North Dakota where I/S in the Lower Cretaceous Mowry and Skull Creek source rocks is diagenetically unaltered, only trace amounts of hydrocarbons have been found in the Lower Cretaceous and other Cretaceous sandstones. Elsewhere in the northern Rocky Mountain-Great Plains region, hydrocarbons in the Lower Cretaceous Muddy Sandstone and its equivalents occur within or immediately adjacent to areas in which I/S clay in the Mowry and Skull Creek shales has been diagenetically altered during burial. Altered I/S and thermally mature organic matter, as defined by Rock-Eval pyrolysis values, coexist in these source rocks. Both may be used as maturation indicators in the search for Cretaceous-source hydrocarbons in the northern Rocky Mountain area.

Recently, more attention has been raised towards fertility preservation in women with cancer. One option is in vitro maturation (IVM) of the immature oocytes as there is not enough time for induction of an ovarian stimulation protocol. The aim was to compare the IVM laboratory outcomes between stimulated and unstimulated (natural) in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. In total, 234 immature oocytes collected from 15 cancer patients who underwent an IVM programme (natural IVM) and 23 IVF cycles with a controlled ovarian hyperstimulation protocol (stimulated IVM) were analyzed. The oocyte morphology, zona pellucida (ZP), and meiotic spindle presence were measured using PolScope technology. Also, the rates of oocyte maturation and fertilization were assessed in both groups. The IVM rate was higher in the stimulated cycle (P < 0.05), but the fertilization rate was insignificant in comparison with unstimulated cycles. There were no significant differences in the spindle visualization and ZP birefringence scoring between the groups (P > 0.05). The oocyte normal morphology was better in the stimulated cycle compared with the natural cycle (P < 0.05). In conclusion, IVM can be recommended for cancer patients as an alternative treatment when there is insufficient time for conventional IVF before chemotherapy initiation.

To determine the fertilization and embryonic potential of immature metaphase I (MI) oocytes in patients with low oocyte maturity rate in whom the percentage of mature oocytes obtained was less than 75% of the total retrieved ones. In vivo matured metaphase II (MII) oocytes (MII-ICSI, n = 244), and in vitro matured MI oocytes (MI-MII-ICSI, n = 202) underwent an intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) procedure. Maturation rate, fertilization rate and early embryonic development were compared in both groups. In total, 683 oocytes were collected from 117 ICSI cycles of 117 patients. Among them, 244 (35.7%) were mature MII and 259 (37.9%) were MI after the denudation process. Of those 259 MI oocytes, 202 (77.9%) progressed to MII oocytes after an incubation period of 18–24 h. The maturation rate was 77.9%. Fertilization rate was found to be significantly higher in the rescued in vitro matured MI oocyte group when compared with the in vivo matured MII oocyte group (41.6% vs 25.8%; P = 0.0006). However, no significant difference was observed in terms of cleavage rates on days 2 and 3 between the groups (P = 0.9126 and P = 0.5031, respectively). There may be unidentified in vivo factors on the oocyte maturation causing low developmental capacity in spite of high fertilization rates in the group of patients with low oocyte maturity rate. Furthermore, studies are needed to determine the appropriate culture characteristics as well as culture period and ICSI timing of these oocytes.

Obestatin is a gastrointestinal peptide having wide-ranging effects on cell proliferation; however, its mechanism of action remains poorly understood. Thus, the aim of the study was to elucidate the effect of exogenous obestatin on the postnatal structural development of the small intestine. Seven-day-old piglets with an average BW of 1.56 ± 0.23 kg were divided into four groups (n = 10) that received intragastrically obestatin (2, 10 or 15 μg/kg BW) or vehicle. After a 6-day experimental period, morphological analysis of gastrointestinal tract and small intestine wall (mitosis and apoptosis indexes, histomorphometry of mucosa and muscularis layers) was performed. The study revealed a seemingly incoherent pattern of the histological structure of the small intestine among the experimental groups, suggesting that the effect of obestatin is both intestinal segment specific and dose dependent. Histomorphometric analysis of the small intestine showed that higher doses of obestatin seem to promote the structural development of the duodenum while simultaneously hindering the maturation of more distal parts of the intestine. Intragastric administration of obestatin increased the crypt mitotic index in all segments of the small intestine with the strongest pro-mitotic activity following the administration of obestatin at a dose of 10 and 15 μg/kg BW. The significant differences in the number of apoptotic cells in the intestinal villi among the groups were observed only in proximal jejunum and ileum. In conclusion, it seems that obestatin shows a broad-spectrum of activity in the gastrointestinal tract of newborn piglets, being able to accelerate its structural development. However, the varied effect depending on the intestinal segment or the concentration of exogenous obestatin causes that further research is needed to clarify the exact mechanism of this phenomenon.

Vintage goods are a unique set of goods that accrue value over time. Unlike producers for many other vintage goods, Scottish distilleries often mature their stocks to different ages and sell a product line that varies significantly in quality. This article develops a theoretical model to examine this maturation strategy and identify market conditions under which a distillery would produce multiple ages of whisky. An empirical analysis of distilleries’ product lines confirms results from the model and highlights the determinants of variety and substitutability between brands. (JEL Classifications: D43, L13, L66)

This study aimed to investigate the effects of IL1β and TNFα on growth and maturation of oocytes from small follicles (1–3 mm) during in vitro culture. To this end, cumulus–oocyte complexes (COCs) with diameters of ~110 µm were cultured in TCM-199 medium alone or supplemented with IL1β (10 ng/ml), TNFα (10 ng/ml) or both for 48 h. The oocytes were measured at the beginning and at the end of the culture period. COCs were cultured for 20 h in pre-maturation medium and then half of the COCs of each group was destined for in vitro maturation and the remaining COCs were used to evaluate meiotic progression, mitochondrial distribution and the expression of mRNAs for GDF-9, c-Mos, Cyclin-B1 and H1foo. The results showed that COCs cultured with TNFα alone or together with IL1β had higher diameters than those cultured in control medium alone or supplemented with IL1β. Control oocytes isolated from large antral follicles (>5 mm) had heterogeneous distribution of mitochondria. Oocytes isolated from small antral follicles, that had been grown in vitro in TCM-199 alone or supplemented with TNFα had similar heterogeneous mitochondrial distribution before in vitro maturation (IVM). After IVM, mitochondria were heterogeneously distribution when cultured in TCM-199. However, when cultured with TNFα and/or IL1β, mitochondria were homogeneously distributed. Presence of TNFα and/or IL1β in TCM-199 culture medium did not influence the expression of mRNAs for GDF-9, c-Mos, Cyclin-B1 and H1foo. In conclusion, TNFα and a mixture of TNFα and IL1β both stimulated the growth of bovine oocytes during their in vitro culture, but do not influence gene expression in grown oocytes.

Illitic-smectitic clays were matured with a ferruginous, bicarbonate-rich and sulphate-rich water for different periods of time (7, 15, 30, 60 and 90 days), and subjected to discontinuous stirring, to test their use in pelotherapy. A progressive degradation of the clay minerals was observed during the maturation process, with a reduction in the illite and smectite crystallinity, in the percentage of smectites and in the phyllosilicate content. The percentage of <2 μm particles also decreased. These modifications caused changes in the clays’ physicochemical properties, which are evident in an increase in their plasticity index and in slower cooling of the peloid, both of which improved the clays’ effect in pelotherapy.

The empirical application of muds for therapeutic purposes is widely known. This is called pelotherapy and consists of the local or generalized application of a mixture of a solid phase and a liquid phase (peloid) for the recovery of arthro-rheumatic issues, bone-muscle traumatic damage and dermatological pathologies. During the time of mixing (maturation process) the mud is progressively colonized by thermophilic microorganisms that contribute to improvements in the peloid quality and endow the mud with organic substances. Several studies report diatoms as the main agent of thermal muds capable of producing anti-inflammatory sulphoglycolipid which renders the mud suitable for this use. The effect of the temperature is also considered important for therapeutic purposes.

Recent studies assessed physical, chemical and technological properties of some peloids in use at spa centres. Some maturation surveys have also been performed in recent years. The need for quality criteria establishment and certification of clayey products intended to be used currently is evident, especially for peloids which have therapeutic action. Consequently, this study aims at the compilation and analysis of some characteristics of peloids from the literature in order to contribute to a major database that allows the establishment of regulations and quality criteria for suitable applications of peloids.

On the basis of their review of studies, Mayberry and Kluender (2017) propose that the human language learning ability becomes severely compromised if it is not developed in tandem with brain development in early childhood, but that it functions more or less flawlessly, even in adulthood, if language acquisition had at one time proceeded according to the maturational timetable. Mayberry and Kluender therefore suggest that the critical period hypothesis (CPH) for language is unambiguously tied to the timing of L1 acquisition, but that its relevance to L2 acquisition is less clear, the implication being that the well-documented AoA effects in the SLA literature are due to non-maturational (i.e., psychological, experiential, cross-linguistic, etc.) causes.

Staining with brilliant cresyl blue (BCB) may be used for oocyte selection, but BCB staining itself and the most commonly used selection medium (DMPBS) may compromise the development of porcine oocytes in vitro. This study evaluated DNA fragmentation, nuclear maturation, the area of migration of cortical granules (CG) and embryo development for stained (BCB+) and unstained (BCB−) oocytes incubated in DMPBS and in a modified medium (ReproPel) tested for the first time. Unexposed (UN), BCB+ and BCB− oocytes were incubated composing six groups: DMPBS/UN; DMPBS/BCB+; DMPBS/BCB−; ReproPel/UN; ReproPel/BCB+; and ReproPel/BCB−. There were more BCB+ oocytes in ReproPel than in DMPBS (P < 0.05). The DNA fragmentation was evaluated for oocytes in DMPBS/BCB+, DMPBS/BCB−, ReproPel/BCB+, ReproPel/BCB− and in porcine follicular fluid (control). The frequency of oocytes with no DNA fragmentation was greatest (64.6%) in DMPBS/BCB+ and lowest in ReproPel/BCB+ and ReproPel/BCB− (26.8 and 34.1%, respectively) (P < 0.05). Nuclear maturation rates were greater (P < 0.05) for DMPBS/BCB+ (63.1%), ReproPel/UN (55.1%) and ReproPel/BCB+ (50.2%) than for DMPBS/UN (40.8%) and ReproPel/BCB− (35.5%). The area of CG was greater (P < 0.05) for ReproPel/BCB− (80.7%) and DMPBS/UN (77.6%) than for ReproPel/UN (34.7%). Cleavage rates for DMPBS/BCB+ and ReproPel/BCB+ were greater than for DMPBS/UN (P < 0.05). Blastocyst development rates were greatest (P < 0.05) for ReproPel/UN and ReproPel/BCB+. In both media, BCB staining was apparently unable to select competent oocytes, which likely occurred due to toxicity. Despite the similar nuclear maturation and area of CG compared with DMPBS, oocytes selected in ReproPel presented impaired DNA integrity.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of adding a combination of insulin, transferrin and selenium (ITS) and l-ascorbic acid (AA) during in vitro maturation (IVM) and in vitro culture (IVC) on in vitro embryo production. To verify the effect of the supplements, cleavage and blastocyst rates, embryo size and total cell number were performed. Embryonic development data, embryo size categorization and kinetics of maturation were analyzed by chi-squared test, while the total cell number was analyzed by a Kruskal–Wallis test (P < 0.05). When ITS was present during IVM, IVC or the entire culture, all treatments had a cleavage and blastocyst rates and embryo quality, similar to those of the control group (P < 0.05). Supplementation of IVM medium with ITS and AA for 12 h or 24 h showed that the last 12 h increased embryo production (51.6%; n = 220) on D7 compared with the control (39.5%; n = 213). However, no improvement was observed in blastocyst rate when less competent oocytes, obtained from 1–3 mm follicles, were exposed to ITS + AA for the last 12 h of IVM, with a blastocyst rate of 14.9% (n = 47) compared with 61.0% (n = 141) in the control group. The results suggest that the addition of ITS alone did not affect embryo production; however, when combined with AA in the last 12 h of maturation, there was improvement in the quantity and quality of embryos produced. Furthermore, the use of ITS and AA during IVM did not improve the competence of oocytes obtained from small follicles.

High plasticity in cephalopod populations shows dramatic changes in their biological traits. Commercial catches of Mayan octopus (Octopus maya) in six localities of the state of Campeche, Mexico, were sampled monthly for five consecutive fishing seasons (2005–2009) in order to describe variations in population structure and maturation. Octopus maya grows and matures during the fishing season, from August to December. Spent individuals predominate in January and February, revealing a year-long life cycle. However, the presence of a few spent females in all months sampled suggests that a small part of the population shows an extended spawning period. Overall sex ratios did not significantly shift from the expected 1:1 in most samples. Males are mostly mature while the majority of females are immature during the season. Use of illegal fishing gears (spear diving or pots) in central localities accounts for a larger share in mature females. Octopus size showed large interannual and geographic differences. Females mature at a larger size (1024 g body weight, BW; 124 mm mantle length, ML) than males (484 g BW; 91 mm ML). Size at maturity in both sexes varies more between seasons than between localities. Female ML at maturity is larger than the current minimum legal size and implications for current octopus fishing regulations are discussed.

Among gastropods, dimorphism is reported in shell size, radular characteristic, and to a lesser extent in shell shape. The relationship of dimorphic characters of the shell with spawning is scarcely studied in literature. Buccinanops globulosus is an interesting model to study sexual dimorphism in shell shape, because the adults attach their egg capsules to the females’ own shells (callus zone). Our hypothesis is that the shell dimorphism is evidenced in the form (size and shape) of callus zones of the females' shells, compared with the males'. In order to test this hypothesis we use a 3D geometric morphometrics (GM) method with several advantages over 2D GM. The relationship between callus shape and size was allometric. During growth, the main callus shape changes are related to the mean size increment, which is more evident in larger females. These callus zones are characteristically slender in males and small females, and more inflated in large females. Our analyses revealed that female shells are different from male ones and those differences are significant on the callus zone where the egg capsules are attached by the female. This finding suggests a relationship of the shell form with spawning. Our findings are not only relevant in terms of the shell dimorphism of the particular spawning substrate area (callus zones) and its reproductive implications, but also provide insights into the evaluation of shell shape variation on areas without type I or II anatomical landmarks in 3D GM.

We aimed to analyze the oogenesis of adult females of the cichlid fish Laetacara araguaiae. The specimens’ gonads were removed and processed for light and transmission electron microscopy. Oogenesis in L. araguaiae showed the following characteristics: a germinal epithelium with three types of oogonia (A-undifferentiated, A-differentiated and B-oogonia), oocytes at meiotic prophase stage and ovarian follicle formation. Oocytes showing primary growth with pre-vitellogenic and cortical alveolus were observed. Similar to data for other cichlids, oocytes in secondary growth or vitellogenesis were characterized by the initial deposition of yolk microgranules. The event that characterizes the maturation stage is nucleolus migration, also called the germinal vesicle, to the oocyte periphery in the direction of the micropyle. The follicular complex undergoes several changes throughout the oocyte stages. To the best of our knowledge this study is the first to describe L. araguaiae oogenesis. Moreover, this study is the first step to better understand the reproductive biology of this species, which shows great potential for use as an ornamental fish.

Information on the ontogeny of complement system might help us better understand the anti-infection mechanism in the early fish life. The ontogenic expression of the representative complement genes and their response to lipopolysaccharides (LPS) challenge in zebrafish larvae are reported here. The expression of C1r/s, C3, C4, C6 and MBL steadily increased before 21 days post-fertilization (dpf) and a decrease was detected thereafter. MASP expression elevated and peaked on 14 dpf and a decline followed. Bf expression fluctuated during the experimental period. Moreover, Bf (involved in alternative pathway, AP) expressed at higher levels than C1r/s (involved in classical pathway, CP), MASP (involved in lectin pathway, LP) and C4 (involved in both CP and LP) in the normal adult fish and larvae, suggesting the more significance of AP than CP and LP during the development of zebrafish. LPS challenge induced up-regulation of all the genes at 12 h in the adult fish. For the larvae, Bf, C3 (key complement component) and C6 (involved in lytic pathway) responded to LPS challenge at earlier stages than the other complement genes, with the up-regulation detected since 14, 14 and 7 dpf, respectively. In the larvae at 28 dpf, all the above three genes responded to LPS challenge by up-regulating their expression in a fashion similar to that of the adult fish, hinting that complement operating via AP develops earlier and plays a key role in protecting the larvae; it showed effective responses to LPS challenge from 14 dpf and might mature before 28 dpf.