Introducing Normalized Surface-adjusted Precipitation Index (NSPI) for regional drought assessment.

Drought is a natural event, but its frequency and severity are increasingly influenced by human activity and climate change. In the current Anthropocene era, human-induced changes to the hydrological cycle combined with natural climate variability are reshaping how droughts develop and persist. Droughts often result from complex interactions between atmospheric conditions and land surface processes, which affect how water and energy move through the environment.

Unveiling the Reproductive Risks of PFOS: Testicular Proteome Disruption and Hormonal Imbalance in Male Rats†.

Male infertility has been linked with exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, including perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). However, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. This study investigated the effects of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), a prevalent PFAS, on the testicular proteome, serum testosterone levels and testicular histology in pre-pubertal male Sprague-Dawley rats.

Identification of potential differences in salivary proteomic profiles between estrus and diestrus stage of estrous cycle in dairy cows.

In the present study, a comparative global high-throughput proteomic analysis strategy was used to identify proteomic differences between estrus and diestrus stage of estrous cycle in dairy cows. Saliva was collected from cows during estrus and diestrus, and subjected to LC-MS/MS-based proteomic analysis. A total of 2842 proteins were detected in the saliva of cows, out of which, 2437 and 1428 non-redundant proteins were identified in estrous and diestrous saliva, respectively.

Male infertility and perfluoroalkyl and poly-fluoroalkyl substances: evidence for alterations in phosphorylation of proteins and fertility-related functional attributes in bull spermatozoa†.

Background: Perfluoroalkyl and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are pervasive environmental pollutants and potential threats to reproductive health. Epidemiological studies have established an association between PFAS and male infertility, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear.

Objectives: Investigate the effect of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), the most prevalent and representative PFAS, on bull sperm protein phosphorylation and function.

Sperm proteomic landscape is altered in breeding bulls with greater sperm DNA fragmentation index.

Although, it is well understood that sperm DNA damage is associated with infertility, the molecular details of how damaged sperm DNA affects fertility are not fully elucidated. Since sperm proteins play an important role in fertilization and post-fertilization events, the present study aimed to identify the sperm proteomic alterations in bulls with high sperm DNA Fragmentation Index (DFI%). Semen from Holstein-Friesian crossbred breeding bulls (n = 50) was subjected to Sperm Chromatin Structure Assay.

Prolonged follicular dominance is associated with dysregulated proteomic profile of the follicular fluid in Bos indicus cows.

Prolonged follicular dominance is one of the conditions associated with disconcerted follicular dynamics that result in substantial economic losses to the farmers through low reproductive efficiency in cattle. Hormonal aberrations associated with prolonged follicular dominance may affect the follicular microenvironment and composition of follicular fluid. The current study focused on proteome changes of follicular fluid in prolonged follicular dominance compared to physiological follicular dominance.

High-throughput proteomic characterization of seminal plasma from bulls with contrasting semen quality.

Unlabelled: Seminal plasma proteins are the major extrinsic factors that can modulate the sperm quality and functions. The present study was carried out to compare the proteomic profiles of seminal plasma from breeding bulls producing good and poor quality semen in an effort to understand the possible proteins associated with semen quality. A total of 910 and 715 proteins were detected in the seminal plasma of poor and good quality semen producing bulls, respectively.

Cryopreservation process alters the expression of genes involved in pathways associated with the fertility of bull spermatozoa.

In bovines, cryopreserved semen is used for artificial insemination; however, the fertility of cryopreserved semen is far lower than that of fresh semen. Although cryopreservation alters sperm phenotypic characteristics, its effect on sperm molecular health is not thoroughly understood. The present study applied next-generation sequencing to investigate the effect of cryopreservation on the sperm transcriptomic composition of bull spermatozoa.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms cumulating to genetic variation for fertility in crossbred ( × ) bull spermatozoa.

Spermatozoa from high-fertile (HF) and low-fertile (LF) breeding bulls were subjected to high-throughput next-generation sequencing to identify important Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and novel variants associated with fertility. A total of 77,038 genome-wide SNPs were identified, among which, 10,788 were novel variants. A total of 42,290 and 34,748 variants were recorded with 6115 and 4673 novel variants in in HF and LF bulls, respectively.

Integrated multi-omics analyses reveals molecules governing sperm metabolism potentially influence bull fertility.

Bull fertility is of paramount importance in bovine industry because semen from a single bull is used to breed several thousands of cows; however, so far, no reliable test is available for bull fertility prediction. In the present study, spermatozoa from high- and low-fertility bulls were subjected to high-throughput transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic analysis. Using an integrated multi-omics approach the molecular differences between high- and low-fertility bulls were identified.

Genom-wide analysis identifies single nucleotide polymorphism variations and altered pathways associated with poor semen quality in breeding bulls.

The reason for poor semen quality among the breeding bulls is not well understood. In the present study, we performed high-throughput RNAseq analysis of spermatozoa to identify the SNPs present in good and poor-quality semen-producing Holstein Friesian breeding bulls. A total of 21,360 and 44,650 SNPs were identified in good and poor-quality semen with a minimum read depth of 20, among which 4780 and 8710 novel variants were observed in good and poor-quality semen, respectively.

High throughput deep proteomic analysis of seminal plasma from stallions with contrasting semen quality.

Seminal plasma proteins and pathways associated with sperm motility have not been elucidated in stallions. Therefore, in the current study, using the high throughput LC/MS-MS approach, we profiled stallion seminal plasma proteins and identified the proteins and pathways associated with sperm motility. Seminal plasma from six stallions producing semen with contrasting sperm motility ( = 3 each high-and low-motile group) was utilized for proteomic analysis.

Sperm Transcripts Associated With Odorant Binding and Olfactory Transduction Pathways Are Altered in Breeding Bulls Producing Poor-Quality Semen.

Spermatozoa carries a reservoir of mRNAs regulating sperm functions and fertilizing potential. Although it is well recognized that a considerable proportion of high genetic merit breeding bulls produce poor-quality semen, the transcriptomic alterations in spermatozoa from such bulls are not understood. In the present study, comparative high-throughput transcriptomic profiling of spermatozoa from good and poor-quality semen-producing bulls was carried out to identify the transcripts associated with semen quality.

Deep Metabolomic Profiling Reveals Alterations in Fatty Acid Synthesis and Ketone Body Degradations in Spermatozoa and Seminal Plasma of Astheno-Oligozoospermic Bulls.

Male fertility is extremely important in dairy animals because semen from a single bull is used to inseminate several thousand females. Asthenozoospermia (reduced sperm motility) and oligozoospermia (reduced sperm concentration) are the two important reasons cited for idiopathic infertility in crossbred bulls; however, the etiology remains elusive. In this study, using a non-targeted liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry-based approach, we carried out a deep metabolomic analysis of spermatozoa and seminal plasma derived from normozoospermic and astheno-oligozoospermic bulls.

Comparative Transcriptomic Analysis of Spermatozoa From High- and Low-Fertile Crossbred Bulls: Implications for Fertility Prediction.

Crossbred bulls produced by crossing and suffer with high incidence of infertility/subfertility problems; however, the etiology remains poorly understood. The uncertain predictability and the inability of semen evaluation techniques to maintain constant correlation with fertility demand for alternate methods for bull fertility prediction. Therefore, in this study, the global differential gene expression between high- and low-fertile crossbred bull sperm was assessed using a high-throughput RNA sequencing technique with the aim to identify transcripts associated with crossbred bull fertility.

Spermatozoal transcripts associated with oxidative stress and mitochondrial membrane potential differ between high- and low-fertile crossbred bulls.

The presence of various forms of RNAs having roles in fertilisation and early embryonic development is well documented in mammalian spermatozoa. In the present study, using Agilent microarray platform, we compared sperm mRNA expression profiles between high- and low-fertile crossbred bulls with normal semen parameters. Microarray data acquisition and analysis were performed using GeneSpring GX version software, wherein spermatozoa from high-fertile bulls were kept as control while spermatozoa from low-fertile bulls were considered as treatment group.

RNA-Seq analysis reveals functionally relevant coding and non-coding RNAs in crossbred bull spermatozoa.

Sperm, which are believed to be transcriptionally and translationally inactive, synthesize RNA and proteins before there is gradual disappearance of the ribosome during chromatin compaction. Sperm transfer several functionally relevant transcripts to the oocyte, controlling maternal-zygotic transition and embryonic development. The present study was undertaken to profile and analyze sperm transcripts comprehensively using Next Generation Ribonucleic acid sequencing technology in Holstein Friesian x Tharparkar crossbred bulls.

Sub-fertility in crossbred bulls: deciphering testicular level transcriptomic alterations between zebu (Bos indicus) and crossbred (Bos taurus x Bos indicus) bulls.

Background: The incidence of poor semen quality and sub-fertility/infertility is higher in crossbred as compared to Zebu males. Several attempts have been made to understand the possible reasons for higher incidence of fertility problems in crossbred males, at sperm phenotype, proteome and genome level but with variable results. Since the quality of the ejaculated spermatozoa is determined by the testicular environment, assessing the testicular transcriptome between these breeds would help in identifying the possible mechanisms associated with infertility in crossbred bulls.

Theoretical and experimental investigation of the mechanism of the catalytic ozonation process by using a manganese-based catalyst.

The mechanisms of heterogeneous catalytic ozonation using a manganese catalyst have been studied in this work. The effects of catalyst, pH and the radical scavengers on the degradation of a model pollutant (i.e.

Recovery of rare earths from spent NdFeB magnets of wind turbine: Leaching and kinetic aspects.

Increasing demands of rare earth (RE) metals for advanced technological applications coupled with the scarcity of primary resources have led to the development of processes to treat secondary resources like scraps or end of life products that are often rich in such metals. Spent NdFeB magnet may serve as a potential source of rare earths containing around ∼30% of neodymium and other rare earths. In the present investigation, a pyro-hydrometallurgical process has been developed to recover rare earth elements (Nd, Pr and Dy) from the spent wind turbine magnet.

Susceptibility of bacterial isolates to vancomycin and ceftazidime from patients with endophthalmitis: Is there a need to change the empirical therapy in suspected bacterial endophthalmitis?

To review the susceptibility of bacterial isolates to ceftazidime and vancomycin isolated from patients with endophthalmitis. Microbiology records of patients with endophthalmitis between June 2010 and May 2013 were reviewed. Vitreous and AC fluids obtained from patients with endophthalmitis were subjected to direct microscopy examination and culture.

A novel biphasic leaching approach for the recovery of Cu and Zn from polymetallic bulk concentrate.

In scale-up biphasic leaching process of polymetallic concentrate, the ferric bioregeneration cycles were performed in 15.0L down flow packed bed reactor; whereas the chemical leaching cycles were done using the biogenerated ferric in an indigenously designed 10.0L stirred tank reactor.

Hypopyon uveitis following panretinal photocoagulation in a diabetic patient.

We report the case of a 42-year-old man with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus who presented to us with diminution of vision in both eyes for the past two years. On examination, both eyes showed features of high-risk proliferative diabetic retinopathy and the patient was advised of panretinal photocoagulation (PRP). He underwent the first sitting of PRP in both eyes.