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Imogolite nanotubes (INTs) were synthesized from tetraethoxysilane, aluminum nitrate nonahydrate, and ammonia solution by the method of Arancibia-Miranda, and their dispersion was modified by 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMIM]PF

PurposeThe use of digital technology in firms has drawn attention of innovation management scholars and policy-makers, especially the imitation of digital technology and competition among peer firms. Drawing on dynamic competition theory, this paper examines how firms react to their peers' digital innovation behavior and the effect of external environment mechanisms on the magnitude of peer effects.Design/methodology/approachThis paper utilizes a text mining method to construct a baseline model with a Tobit estimator using data obtained for Chinese listed firms.FindingsThe findings suggest that peer effects on digital innovation behavior are robust and significant positive in China. Moreover, peer effects on digital innovation participation are positively magnified by firms' strong social network and high Fintech development. However, peer effects are relatively higher in non-state-owned enterprises (non-SOEs), low-profitability and high R&D firms.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors' findings contribute to the digital management literature by showing that firms need digital technological imitation and diffusion of innovations in the digital era.Practical implicationsManagers should provide insights into firms' imitation of their peers' acts to preserve competitive parity. Besides, firms should integrate employees within the organization and communicate digital innovation concepts and behaviors to external peer firms.Originality/valueFirst, this paper contributes to explaining how firms change their digital innovation strategy through the influence of peers' digital innovation behavior. Second, this paper fills the literature gaps related to the moderating effects of external environment factors in peer effects of digital innovation behavior.

Oxidative stress damages the structure of sperm and affects its fertility. Further maturation and storage of spermatozoa occur in the epididymis. Thus, a balanced environment between free-radical production and the antioxidant-enzyme system is important. This study aimed to investigate differences in antioxidative activity in epididymis between high and low fertility levels of Hu sheep. A total of 179 Hu ram lambs aged 56 days were fed up to 6 months in the same environment. After feeding trial, all rams were slaughtered. According to the epididymis weight, cauda sperm concentration, and histo-morphological observation, 18 individuals were selected and divided into low fertility (n = 9) and high fertility (n = 9) groups. The RNA sequencing results showed 1404 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), with 735 genes upregulated and 669 genes downregulated in the high fertility group compared with the low fertility group. Sixteen DEGs related to lipid metabolism and oxidative stress, including GPX3, GPX5, LRP1, PLCB1, CRISP2, BSPH1, and ACSBG1, were screened by qPCR, and results were correlated well with the sequencing data. Antioxidative indices such as total antioxidant capacity (21.29 ± 5.97 vs. 30.23 ± 4.56 μM/gprot) and glutathione peroxidase (39.75 ± 7.61 vs. 68.84 ± 12.51 U/mgprot) increased in the high fertility group. However, the relative expression of mtDNA and malondialdehyde concentration (0.75 ± 0.15 vs. 0.54 ± 0.10 nmol/mgprot) and the reactive oxygen species (ROS) content significantly decreased (P 0.05). Therefore, epididymis from high-fertility group had strong antioxidative activity and protected spermatozoa from ROS.

Aiming at the calculation problem of bearing pressure of typical overlying strata structure, in this paper, mechanical calculation, field monitoring and other methods are used to study the influence range of abutment pressure. Recently, many major rock burst accidents in working surface show that with the increase of mining depth and the change of overlying strata structure, the abutment pressure distribution has become one of the problems of safe mining. The influence range, distribution of high stress area and peak position of working surface support pressure need to be solved urgently; and through theoretical analysis, this paper reveals (whole rock single-layer structure, whole rock layered structure, whole rock single-layer structure—without arch in soil layer, whole rock layered structure—without arch in soil layer, whole rock single-layer structure—with soil arching, whole rock layered structure—with soil arching) the stress transfer mode, transfer size, and arching conditions of overlying strata in different areas. The mechanical system of abutment pressure calculation for typical overburden structure is established, which provides theoretical basis for mine optimization design scheme, mining sequence, and limited personnel distance.

The Maillard reaction is a type of nonenzymatic browning process and is an important pathway for the formation of humic-like substances (HLSs). Glucose is one of the three crucial precursors for the Maillard reaction, and a change in glucose concentration can inevitably affect the humification pathway, thereby regulating the composition and quality of HLSs. To verify the scientific hypothesis, the method of liquid shake-flask culture was adopted. Both catechol and glycine with fixed concentrations were added to a phosphate buffer including δ-MnO2, and only the concentration of glucose was adjusted in the sterile culture system. The obtained supernatant fluid and dark-brown residue were collected dynamically through the centrifugation method. The E4/E6 ratio and total organic C (TOC) of the supernatant fluid, the humus composition, and FTIR spectra for the dark-brown residue, and the elemental composition of humic-like acid (HLA) extracted from the dark-brown residue were analyzed to reveal the effect of varying glucose concentrations on the abiotic humification pathways for the Maillard reaction and the characteristics of relevant products under abiotic processes. The results reveal that (1) the exogenous addition of glucose at different concentrations simplifies the molecular structure in the supernatant fluid, and the TOC content is decreased to varying degrees, among which the addition of 0.24 mol/L glucose leads to the formation of simpler organic molecules in the supernatant compared to that for the other treatments, and the addition of 0.03 mol/L glucose shows the largest decrease in TOC content; (2) Under the coexistence of glycine and catechol, CHLA treated with the addition of glucose at different concentrations shows an upward trend in the course of the culture, which is significantly higher than that obtained for the CK control. The addition of 0.12 mol/L glucose results in the largest increase in CHLA. During the culture period, the structure of HLA molecules from each treatment first become complex and then gradually become simpler. Finally, the molecular structure of HLA treated with different concentrations of glucose becomes more complex, but the structure of HLA molecules from the CK control tends to be simplified. The addition of glucose can improve the condensation degree of HLA molecules, among which the addition of 0.12 mol/L glucose shows the most significant effect. With increasing exogenous glucose concentration, the number of N-containing compounds in the HLA molecules further decreases, while the number of O-containing functional groups increases. (3) The greater the concentration of glucose added, the higher the proportion of aromatic C structures in the dark-brown residue. During this process, the Mn-O bond lattice vibration of the δ-MnO2 layered structure is greatly enhanced. The organic molecules in the dark-brown residue and δ-MnO2 are bound to each other through intermolecular hydrogen bonding. The CHLA/CFLA ratio for each treatment increases to varying degrees after the culture period, indicating that the addition of glucose is more conducive to the improvement of humus quality than the CK control, among which the addition of 0.12 mol/L glucose shows the best effect.

ZNF280BY, a bovid-specific Y chromosome gene, was firstly found to be highly expressed in bovine testis, indicating that it may play important roles in testicular development and male fertility. In this study, we firstly cloned the full-length cDNA of ovine ZNF280BY containing 1,993 bp, and with a 1,632 bp open reading frame. ZNF280BY was predominantly expressed in the testis, and its expression level was significantly higher in large testis than in small testis in Hu sheep at 6 months of age. In addition, the expression level of ZNF280BY significantly increased during testicular development, showing the highest expression level at 12 mo of age. ZNF280BY showed copy number variation (CNV) in 723 rams from eight sheep breeds, ranging from 17 to 514 copies, with a median copy number of 188. Pearson correlation analysis showed that the CNV of ZNF280BY was negatively correlated with testis size in Hu sheep. Furthermore, its mRNA expression level in testis had no significant correlation with the CNV but was significantly correlated with testis size. This study concluded that the expression of ZNF280BY was closely related to testicular development, and the CNV of ZNF280BY could be used as an important genetic marker to evaluate the ram reproductive capacity at an early stage in Hu sheep.The zinc finger protein 280B-like, Y-linked ZNF280BY is a bovid-specific Y chromosome gene, playing important roles in testicular development and male fertility. In this study, we found that the ovine ZNF280BY was highly expressed in the testis and significantly upregulated during testicular development. The copy number of ZNF280BY was negatively correlated with testicular size in Hu sheep. Our results demonstrated that the CNV of ZNF280BY could be used as an important candidate marker for selecting elite rams at an early stage in Hu sheep.

Accurate and effective equipment state assessment can help us to keep abreast of equipment operation reliability in performing emergency management of equipment faults. However, the state change of...

The selection of testis size can improve the reproductive capacity of livestock used for artificial insemination and has been considered as an important strategy for accelerating the breeding process. Although much work has been done to investigate the mechanisms of testis development in various species, there is little information available in regard to the differences in transcriptomic profiling of sheep testes at different developmental stages. In this work, we aimed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) by RNA-Seq in sheep during different growth stages, including 0 month old (infant, M0), 3 months old (puberty, M3), 6 months old (sexual maturity, M6) and 12 months old (body maturity, M12). A total of 4,606 (2,381 up and 2,225 down), 7,500 (4,368 up and 3,132 down), 15 (8 up and seven down) DEGs were identified in M3_vs_M0, M6_vs_M3, and M12_vs_M6 comparison, respectively. Of which, a number of genes were continuously up-regulated and down-regulated with testicular development, including ODF3, ZPBP1, PKDREJ, MYBL1, PDGFA, IGF1, LH, INSL3, VIM, AMH, INHBA, COL1A1, COL1A2, and INHA. GO analysis illustrated that DEGs were mainly involved in testis development and spermatogenesis. KEGG analysis identified several important pathways and verified several reproduction-associated DEGs such as COL1A1, COL1A2, PDGFA, and IGF1. In addition, two gene modules highly associated with testis development and core genes with testis size were identified using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), including hub genes positively associated with testis size such as RANBP9, DNAH17, SPATA4, CIB4 and SPEM1, and those negatively associated with testis size such as CD81, CSK, PDGFA, VIM, and INHBA. This study comprehensively identified key genes related to sheep testicular development, which may provide potential insights for understanding male fertility and better guide in animal breeding.

Platelet-derived growth factor-D (PDGF-D) is highly expressed in immune cells. However, the potential role of PDGF-D in immune system remains thus far unclear. Here, we reveal a novel function of PDGF-D in activating both classical and alternative complement pathways that markedly increase chemokine and cytokine responses to promote macrophage polarization. Pharmacological targeting of the complement C3a receptor using SB290157 alleviated PDGF-D-induced neuroinflammation by blocking macrophage polarization and inhibited pathological choroidal neovascularization. Our study thus suggests that therapeutic strategies targeting both PDGF-D and the complement system may open up new possibilities for the treatment of neovascular diseases.

The current steady-state fuel consumption models are not optimal due to their large estimation error, complex structure, excess model coefficients, and relatively low predicting accuracy of fuel consumption. Based on experimental data of a passenger car’s fuel consumption, this study analyzes advantages and disadvantages of existing models, proposes a unified expression of the transient variable polynomial fuel-consumption model, introduces the Bayesian information criterion (BIC) for model selection, and establishes an instantaneous fuel-consumption model with simple structure and high accuracy. The simulation results show that, compared with the BIT-TFCM models, the root mean square error (RMSE) and the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of the proposed model are 6.27% and 6.43% smaller, respectively, on average. The proposed model has the advantages of simple structure, high precision, less influence from working conditions, stable performance, and easy prediction of the fuel consumption of future working conditions, hence providing a foundation for economic path planning.

Evaluating real-time operation state, diagnosing faults, and improving the operation reliability are important for the entire life cycle of equipment. This study proposes a dynamic failure mode analysis (DFMA) approach based on an improved Taguchi process capability index (PCI) and has three possible contributions. First, an improved Taguchi PCI, namely, Cpm-Q, and a new fault risk index (FRI), namely, Rpm-Q, are proposed to measure the dynamic fault risk of structural components. Second, dynamic risk priority number (DRPN) is proposed by integrating the fault importance index (FII) and FRI. Third, a real-time state representation based on FRI and DRPN, which divide the operation risk of the equipment into six state intervals, is proposed. We applied the approach on particle accelerator cooling water equipment located at Shanghai proton and heavy ion center. Results show that the approach is effective for real-time operation state assessment and fault identification.

Inhibins regulate folliculogenesis, gametogenesis and hormone secretion via endocrine, paracrine and autocrine manners, and play roles in encouraging or suppressing proliferation of cells. In order to investigate the effects of inhibin A on proliferation and apoptosis of porcine granulosa cells (GCs), GCs were isolated from ovarian follicles (3-6 mm), treated with inhibin A at different concentrations. The cell viability, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), expression of proliferation-related genes and cell cycle were detected. Inhibin α subunit (INHA) gene was silenced to detect the effect of down-regulation of inhibin on expression of proliferation-related genes in GCs. The results showed that cell viability was associated with inhibin A concentration and significantly enhanced by inhibin A at high doses (50 and 100 ng/mL, P < 0.05) compared to control group (0 ng/mL). Meanwhile, the MMP boosted after treated with 100 ng/mL inhibin A for 48 h. Expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) (200 ng/mL) and CyclinB1 (100 and 200 ng/mL) was promoted while Caspase-3(100 and 200 ng/mL) and BAX (200 ng/mL) was inhibited in dose dependent manner after the cells were incubated with inhibin A for 24 h (P < 0.05) compared to control group, thereby the transition from G1 phase to S phase was promoted and the number of S phase cells was increased. After silencing the INHA gene expression, expression of Caspase-3 was enhanced and CyclinB1 was inhibited (P < 0.05) compared to Ri-negative group. All the results pointed to the conclusion that inhibin A promotes the proliferation of GCs while inhibits apoptosis.

Rice straw is a kind of low-cost biosorbent. Through mechanical crushing, pyrolysis, incineration, and citric acid (CA) modification, it could be converted to rice straw powder (Sp), biochar (Sb), ash (Sa), and modified rice straw (Ms) accordingly. Using rice straw as an adsorbent, the influence of pH value (2, 4, and 9), initial Cd(II) concentration (0, 200, and 800 mg/L), and ionic strength (0, 0.2, to 0.6 mg/L) on the adsorption capacity for Cd(II) were examined with three replicates, and the relevant mechanisms were explored using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) technology. Results showed that the modifications could improve the adsorption capacity of Cd(II) by changing their chemical structures. The products (Sb and Sa) of the pyrolysis and incineration of rice straw contained fewer hydroxyl and alkyl groups, but more Si&ndash, O groups. Citric acid modification removed a portion of silica in rice straw, increased its carboxylic content, and made more &ndash, OH groups exposed. Compared with Sp, Sb, Sa, and Ms were more likely to act as &pi, donors in the Cd(II) sorption process and exhibited more carboxyl binding. The bands of C = C, &ndash, O&ndash, CH3, and the O&ndash, H, carboxyl, Si&ndash, Si or Si&ndash, O groups were involved in the Cd(II) sorption process. The adsorption amount of Cd(II) by the four adsorbents increased with the increase in the pH value of the solution and the initial Cd(II) concentration. Affected by pH in a solution, ion exchange, surface complexation, and precipitation were the major adsorption mechanisms. Further, under the influence of the initial Cd(II) concentration, electrostatic attraction played a leading role. With no interference by ionic strength, all the adsorbents had the greatest adsorption amount of Cd(II), and the intensity of O&ndash, H vibration was also the weakest, ion exchange was the most important mechanism in this process. Regardless of the influencing factors, Sa, with the greatest specific surface area, had an absolute advantage in the adsorption capacity of Cd(II) over Sp, Sb, and Ms.

Rice straw can adsorb Cd(II) from wastewater, and modification of rice straw may improve its adsorption efficiency. The rice straw powder (Sp) from the direct pulverization of rice straw was used as the control, the rice straw ash (Sa), biochar (Sa), and modified rice straw (Ms) were prepared by ashing, pyrolysis and citric acid modification, respectively, and all of them were examined as adsorbents for Cd(II) in this study. Batch adsorption experiments were adopted to systematically compare the adsorption capacities of rice straw materials prepared with different modification methods for Cd(II) from aqueous solution under different levels of initial Cd(II) concentration (0–800 mg·L−1), temperature (298, 308, and 318 K), contact time (0–1440 min), pH value (2–10), and ionic strength (0–0.6 mol·L−1). The results indicated that the modification method affected the adsorption of Cd(II) by changing the specific surface area (SSA), Si content, surface morphology, and O-containing functional group of rice straw. Compared with Sp, Ms held more surface O–H, aliphatic and aromatic groups, while Sa had more phenolic, C–O (or C–O–C), and Si–O groups, and Sb held more C–O (or C–O–C) and Si–O groups; besides, Sa, Sb, and Ms had larger SSA than Sp. Adsorption capacity of the four adsorbents for Cd(II) increased and gradually became saturated with the increase in the initial Cd(II) concentration (0–800 mg·L−1). The adsorption capacity of Cd(II) was significantly higher at 318 K than 298 K and 308 K, regardless of the adsorbent type. Sa had the largest SSA (192.38 m2·g−1) and the largest adsorption capacity for Cd(II). When the initial Cd2+ concentration was at 800 mg·L−1, the Cd(II) adsorption amount reached as high as 68.7 mg·g−1 with Sa at 318 K. However, the SSA of Sp was only 1.83 m2·g−1, and it had the least adsorption capacity for Cd(II). Only the adsorption of Cd(II) upon Sb at 298 K was spontaneous, and surprisingly, all other adsorptions were nonspontaneous. These adsorptions were all chemical, and were favorable, exothermic and order-increasing processes. The pseudo-second-order model showed a strong fit to the kinetics of Cd(II) adsorption by the four adsorbents. The adsorption capacities of Cd(II) by the adsorbents were less at low pH, and all were enhanced with the increase of initial pH value (2–10) in the solution. The inhibiting effect on Cd(II) adsorption due to the increase in ionic strength was greater with Sa, Sb, and Ms than that under Sp. The rice straw ash prepared by ashing unexpectedly had greater adsorption capacity for Cd(II) than the biochar and citric acid modified rice straw. The optimum condition for Cd(II) adsorption was established as the temperature of 318 K, initial Cd(II) concentration of 800 mg·L−1, contact time of 240 min, and no Na(I) interference regardless of absorbent. In conclusion, rice straw ash shows the greatest potential of being applied to paddy fields for the remediation of Cd(II) pollution so as to reduce the risk of Cd(II) enrichment in rice grains and straws.

Background.Tumor immunotherapy and immunological checkpoint-related proteins are research hotspots. Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is the main treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Hence, the evaluation of its effect is very important. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the concentrations of soluble checkpoint proteins, plasma EBV-DNA, and cytokines in NPC patients treated with IMRT.Methods.In this study, the plasma samples of 37 NPC patients and 40 healthy controls were collected. Luminex MAGPIX was used to detect the concentrations of 32 plasma targets, including soluble programmed cell death 1 (sPD-1). RT-qPCR was used to measure EBV-DNA.Results.The concentrations of 33 plasma targets were detected in NPC patients before and after IMRT to explore the changes after IMRT. The results showed that IMRT could increase the expression of sPD-1 and significantly reduce the level of EBV-DNA in the plasma of NPC patients. The expression level of sPD-1 in TNM I/II patients was significantly higher than that in III/IV patients. Besides, the concentrations of 12 other targets were significantly different after IMRT, including LAG-3, PD-L1, TIM-3, IFN-γ, IL-12p70, IL-1β, IL-5, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-10, IL-17A, and IL-22. High sPD-1 patients had longer survival than those with low sPD-1. Also, patients with lower EBV-DNA and TNM grades I and II/III had longer survival than those with higher EBV-DNA or TNM IV.Conclusions.This study demonstrated that the concentration of sPD-1 was significantly increased and EBV-DNA was significantly reduced in the NPC patients after IMRT. Plasma EBV-DNA level was a highly specific and sensitive biomarker for NPC diagnosis. Both sPD-1 expression and EBV-DNA concentration in plasma were related to the survival of patients.

Three new coordination complexes (HNU-40, 41 and 42) were synthesized by using mixed ligand strategy, which exhibit coordinated diversities and distinct dimensions. The structure of HNU-40 is the closed loop with the sized of 7.4 A × 7.9 A. HNU-41 displays a zig-zag one-dimensional chain structure, and the coordination mode of Zn2+ ions in the adjacent two chains is different. While, HNU-42 features a two-dimensional interpenetrating structure which are based on the hexagonal net. Three complexes behaved effective detection of nitrobenzene with good selectivity, anti-interference and circulation. In addition, the mechanism of fluorescence quenching is also discussed.

Ovarian follicular cysts are anovulatory follicular structures that have been identified in sows and are known to cause infertility. The pathogenesis of follicular cysts remains poorly understood. Hormones play key roles in the formation and persistence of cysts. The hormone inhibin is a member of the TGF-β superfamily and is named for its negative regulation of FSH, another hormone that controls follicular recruitment and growth. In the present study, 48 sows with follicular cysts and 60 normal sows with no cysts were screened for mutations in the inhibin-α gene to examine the association of inhibin-α gene polymorphisms with the presence of follicular cysts. The results show that the c.-42G>A and c.3222G>A polymorphisms are significantly associated with follicular cysts and that sows with c.-42GG and c.3222GG genotypes have lower risk of developing cysts. Our findings may provide novel biological biomarkers and promising gene therapy candidates for follicular cyst formation in sows, which would greatly benefit pig breeding programs.

4-Methylcatechol (4-MC) is one of the metabolites of quercetin, which is a potential drug for neuroprotection and tumorigenesis inhibition. This study was performed to investigate the cytotoxic effect of 4-MC in mouse TM4 Sertoli cells. TM4 Sertoli cell viability was significantly inhibited by 4-MC in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The number of apoptotic and dead cells was significantly increased after 4-MC treatment. Caspase 3 activity increased by prolonged exposure of TM4 Sertoli cells to 200 μM 4-MC. The 4-MC significantly upregulated the mRNA level of Bax gene and considerably downregulated the Bcl-2 gene expression in a concentration-dependent manner. Results showed that 4-MC could induce TM4 Sertoli cell apoptosis, and the cytotoxic effect of 4-MC on TM4 Sertoli cells may be associated with upregulated Bax gene expression, which induced caspase cascade activation.

Background: Remote precoditioning of trauma (RPCT) confers cardioprotective effects against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury, which are mediated by spinal opioid receptors. The aim of this study was to identify the roles of opioid receptor subtypes in the cardioprotective effect of RPCT and possible mechanisms. Methods: In this study, 192 Sprague-Dawley rats were allocated to 12 groups. Except for the sham group, rats in all groups were subjected to myocardial ischemia reperfusion. Rats in the ischemia precondition (IPC) group were treated with IPC. In the RPCT groups, an abdominal incision was made 15 min before inducing ischemia. The selective delta-, kappa-, and mu-opioid receptor antagonists were administered to groups of animals receiving RPCT, respectively. Data were collected for myocardial infarct size, intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), plasma cardiac troponin I (cTnI) concentrations, activation of protein kinase C epsilon (PKCe) in myocardial cell membranes, and adenosine release in the spinal cord. Results: Compared with the control groups, infarct size, plasma concentrations of cTnI, and myocardial ICAM-1 expression were significantly lower, while adenosine release and PKCe activation were enhanced in the IPC and RPCT groups. Compared with the RPCT group, infarct size, plasma cTnI concentration, and myocardial ICAM-1 expression were greater and adenosine release and PKCe activation were reduced in the mu-opioid receptor antagonist plus RPCT group. Conclusions: The spinal mu-opioid receptor mediated the cardiac protective effect of RPCT. The mechanism may be enhanced by adenosine release in the spinal cord and PKCe activation in the myo­cardium, thereby inhibiting inflammation induced by ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Contents Recently, we demonstrated that two members of neurotrophins, nerve growth factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and two types of receptor, tyrosine kinase A (TrkA) and tyrosine kinase (TrkB), exist in ejaculated bull spermatozoa, and play a crucial role in the normal function of spermatozoa. Neurotrophin-4 (NT-4) is another neurotrophic factor that signals predominantly through the TrkB receptor tyrosine kinase, and no reports of detection of NT-4 in spermatozoa have been published. In the present study, the presence of NT-4 in mature bull spermatozoa was investigated using RT-PCR, immunofluorescence and Western blotting. The result shows that there was no RT-PCR evidence for NT-4 transcripts in bovine spermatozoa. However, the NT-4 protein was present in bovine spermatozoa, and the NT-4 immunoreactivity was localized to the equatorial segment and midpiece of bovine spermatozoa. In addition, effects of NT-4 on function of spermatozoa were studied. Significant increased mitochondria activity of mature bovine spermatozoa was observed in response to 300 or 500 ng/ml exogenous NT-4 (p 0.05). Consequently, this study provided evidence that NT-4 protein was presented in the mature bull spermatozoa and can influence the mitochondrial activity of bovine spermatozoa through TrkB tyrosine kinase–dependent pathways.

Ovarian follicular cysts are anovulatory follicular structures that lead to infertility. Hormones play key roles in the formation and persistence of cysts. Inhibins are heterodimeric gonadal glycoprotein hormones that belong to the transforming growth factor-β superfamily. These hormones suppress the secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone. In this report, partial fragment of inhibin-α (INHA) subunit gene of Large White pig was detected from the genomic DNA by polymerase chain reaction. The sequence showed a 283 bp fragment insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism in INHA subunit gene. A total of 49 Large White sows with cystic follicles and 152 normal sows were screened for this polymorphism. The relationship of INHA I/D polymorphisms with follicular cysts was investigated. The distribution of I/D was significantly different between cystic and normal sows, thereby suggesting that the INHA subunit gene might be a potential biological marker for breeding programs in pig.